Beyond the Horizon
by VannuroRB
Summary: He had only lived inside the strong walls, never questioning or wondering what laid beyond them, until he had that one chance.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1~

The young boy stood at the foot of the mound of dirt, the colouring was still rich and the soil was still fresh from being turned over, but it still remained being a mound of dirt. He was usually good with tending to seeds, knowing how to plant them and how long they would grow, but the flowers he had planted seemed they refused to grow over the grave.

Yugi knelt down by the dirt, reached out and began patting over the dirt, thinking that the seeds had somehow popped out and could not grow properly. Though, he did recall the old man telling him that flowers and plants alike, would never appreciate the taste of a human body. But he had been so adamant to order Yugi, to plant several flower seeds on his grave when he died, even though they both knew the flower seeds would never grow. Perhaps it was Yugi's digging skills, there wasn't a lot of soil between the old man and the surface seeing as the only thing he dug for was seeds, were graves supposed to be deeper?

When he could not find any lose seeds, Yugi simply sighed and stood back up onto his feet, hoping that they'd start sprouting in their own time. After all, he had a whole garden to tend to; he could not waste time on just one patch of seeds.

The garden was a few feet long, not big enough to get lost in, but large enough to inhabit many exotic and colourful plants alike. A giant wall of white barricaded the garden from the outside world, and was quite high up that Yugi could not reach it with his own small height—there did happen to be a tree that grew near to it, and if he were brave enough could jump to the top of the wall, but he was much happier where he was—it stood as his guardian and protected him from the worst.

Yugi walked around the perimeter of the garden, checking on the state of the plants around him before carrying on, only stopping to admire the butterflies that stopped to rest on the flowers. He seen came to the fruit bearing trees, he never learnt their real names, but he also remembered how to know their produce was ready to eat. He reached out, twisting the plump fruit until it broke off and he could hold it, it's colour more vivid than the other fruits that needed ripening. Yugi bit into its sides, feeling the loose juices ran through and over his mouth, he gave a small giggle but carried on his way while he took bites out of the food.

He then came to the large ferns that had been planted, though they were smaller than the other plants, they were by no means less impressive. Their large bristled leaves grew to immense lengths, almost to the point of covering Yugi's body, which ended up being suitable bedding for the child. As he reached the row of brushing plants, he finished off his food, so took out the seeds and planted them in the nearest patch of soil there was. Hoping that more fruit bearing trees would grow, in time.

He soon came to the pond, it was the centre of the garden, and was the only place no plants had grown around. Yugi moved closer to the water's edge, he knelt down and gently dipped his fingertips into it, wriggling them lightly to create ripples to spread through the water. The disturbance in the pond caught the attention of the fish, who swam through the water effortlessly towards his fingers, moving closer to lightly suck on his skin to check if he were food or not. Yugi gave a small giggle when he felt their mouths, wriggling his fingers some more to tease them, before taking them out altogether and shaking them dry.

"Hello Mizu. Torihada. Sakana. It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

Yugi gave a hum as he watched the multi-coloured fish swim around, circling one spot on the surface before they turned away, Yugi watched them disappear back into the depths of the pond before he looked up at the sky. It was bright blue above him, only a thin flake of cloud broke the endless colour apart, hanging directly above him was the sun. It was another perfect day for Yugi, in his perfect home. Not a thing could change it.

Yugi sat back on his legs, placing his hands over his knees he took a deep breath, and began to sing to the sky above him.

"_I, see you._

_Staring, beyond._

_Your beauty, holds me tight._

_I, want to touch, you._

_Stretching out I reach far, but I cannot touch._

_Your beauty holds, beyond the horizon._

_Where are you? I call to your brilliant shine._

_When you shout back, I move my feet._

_And I, shall, find you._

_Never, leaving._

_Running after your trail, leads me deeper._

_I won't stop, not until I hold you in my arms._

_We shall run through the fields, the rivers and the forests._

_The birds shall whisper their secret to us, they will teach us to fly._

_You and I are one, two of kin._

_So when we reach our castle, let us be in peace._

_Flying with the birds, this is how it'll end._

_With you and I, together at least, let us rest in harmony._

_Running after your trail, leads me deeper._

_I won't stop, not until I hold you in my arms._

_We shall run through the fields, the rivers and the forests._

_The birds shall whisper their secret to us, they will teach us to fly._

_We'll say our goodbyes to the earth._

_Soar off into the sky._

_To our kingdom, the castle in the sky._

_We'll build a new home, you and I._

_Where peace and love shall rule, just as long as you are by my side"._

Yugi looked up to the sky as he heard some birds tweet, watching a pair of moving birds dart over the walls of the garden, he watched them until they disappeared before he turned to the blue lagoon above him. Singing again until he received a response back from the sun.

Yugi spent the rest of his day moving around the garden, acting as a guard to the defenceless plants growing around his bare feet, and only occasionally picking a few fruits to eat on his trip. Soon the sun was beginning to set over the wall, and it was quickly turning dark in the little garden he had. He did not worry however. There were no animals inhabiting the garden, aside from the few harmless bugs and birds, and nothing from the outside could enter as well. He was as safe as he could be inside the walls, and that was how he liked it.

He huddled down in his makeshift bed, pulling over the large fern leaf he took over his small body, giving a small giggle when the bristles brushed over his face. Once he was settled on his leaf bed, he looked up to the night sky above him. Many stars littered over the blanket of deep blue, looking like faint lanterns in a faraway world.

Yugi lifted up his hand, reaching it out to the stars, remembering what the man had told him about heaven.

"You're so far away…" Yugi whispered, giving a small sigh he traced his fingers over each individual star "I can't touch you anymore…I'm so alone…"

There was only the sound of the insects buzzing around him, no familiar and comforting voice he had got used to. Truly, he was alone now.

With a small sigh Yugi continued to play with the stars, pretending he could make each glow brighter when he touched them, he continued play until his arm hurt and he was getting tired. Gently easing himself into a lonesome night, once again, as he wondered what the next day would bring.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2~

Yugi awoke the next day to the sounds of the birds, with a small yawn he rubbed his eyes and looked up; the once star filled sky had turned into a mix of orange and pink for the morning. A few birds were already singing to each other, making the sky look more beautiful with their voices. Yugi gave a sigh as he held tightly to the leaf, looking up at the sea of colours, knowing it would have been more spectacular if he could see the sun. But with the wall being too tall, he wouldn't see the raw sun as it woke up with him, so he had to make deal with the palette of colours.

After a few moments of yawning and watching the sky change slight colour, he sat up, pushing the leaf cover off of his body and to his side.

"I wonder if the seeds have sprouted…" He mused to himself, before hearing a growl and grasped his stomach "Breakfast first…"

As the sun left the horizon the sky turned back to its original mystic blue colour, and the day repeated in its same routine, Yugi checked on all the plants and came to an end by the pond to talk to the fish. Uncaring of his outside surroundings, and blessing for such a beautiful day.

A young man came to the top of the hill, panting heavily and wiping the sweat off of his forehead, he collapsed to his knees before lying on his back to stare up at the sky. Only now noticing, how strange and bizarre the blue colour looked, a never-ending sea.

"Damn…I never ran…so fast…in my life…" He gasped out to himself, running his hand through his hair "God…I feel…so disgusting".

After catching his breath up, he managed to sit himself up and brush his clothes off of loose grass, wondering if he could remember the way back to his home. However, he took the chance to see where he had ended up at, not really noticing his surroundings when he made his escape beforehand. Endless fields of grasslands stretched out across ground and hills, barely holding any forest or road of the like, almost as if the land did not exist on the modern map. It suited him just fine, if no one knew it existed, he was safe from his pursuers for the time being.

"_I, see you._

_Staring, beyond._

_Your beauty, holds me tight._

_I, want to touch, you"._

The boy felt his back snapping up straight as he heard the singing voice, looking around him cautiously for anyone, before he finally looked over his shoulder to see the giant structure. A tall white coated wall that formed a square of hidden land, only a few tops of trees made it above its unusually high height, giving the hint that perhaps a garden laid behind it. Whatever it was, the singing was floating from out of its walls, and it was too strange for the male to ignore it.

Forcing himself onto his feet, he gently skidded down the hill so he reached the bottom, and proceeded to the wall. Each step he took, the voice grew stronger, and the wall grew in size. As he came close to it, he looked around for a door, but found it was completely sealed. Though, he could see a way to climb over the wall. It had been built for a fair numerous years, he guessed, as there were a thick batch of weeds and vines growing on the outside of the wall. To him, it was an ease to climb up them.

He grabbed hold of one plant, tugging on it lightly to test its strength, before pulling his body up it. He scaled up the wall, digging his boots and clawing his hands over each tuft of plant life, going higher and higher than before until he reached the top of the wall. He gave a small grunt and pulled the upper part of his body onto the top of the wall, keeping his arms on the stone before looking in, his eyes taking in all he could see.

It was a garden, completely filled to the brim with the most dazzling plants and flowers he had seen. Large ferns blocking out sun, trees that grew fruits, and flowers that shone deep unknown colours. It was like something straight out of a book, though he had to question why such a bizarre garden was placed in the middle of nowhere, and completely locked away from the outside world.

The singing continued, and he turned his attention to the person, spotting Yugi with ease in front of the pond. He was staring up at the sky ahead of him, singing to it, as if he were serenading the deep abyss. The boy did not interrupt him, simply he rested his head in his hands, listening to his child voice and to the song.

"_Running after your trail, leads me deeper._

_I won't stop, not until I hold you in my arms._

_We shall run through the fields, the rivers and the forests._

_The birds shall whisper their secret to us, they will teach us to fly._

_You and I are one, two of kin._

_So when we reach our castle, let us be in peace._

_Flying with the birds, this is how it'll end._

_With you and I, together at least, let us rest in harmony._

_Running after your trail, leads me deeper._

_I won't stop, not until I hold you in my arms._

_We shall run through the fields, the rivers and the forests._

_The birds shall whisper their secret to us, they will teach us to fly._

_We'll say our goodbyes to the earth._

_Soar off into the sky._

_To our kingdom, the castle in the sky._

_We'll build a new home, you and I._

_Where peace and love shall rule, just as long as you are by my side"._

Yugi gave a sigh when he finished singing, looking around at the sky above him, still waiting for a response above. But still, there was nothing for him.

"You sing really well" Yugi gave a loud gasp and rose to his feet, turning to the grinning male on the wall "You've got an interesting place here. What's your name kid?"

Yugi did not answer, backing away slowly as he stared at the male cautiously. He had always prayed that someone would visit him, but he was never expecting it, he was not prepared for such a meeting. The male raised his brow and pulled his body more onto the wall, lifting his legs up.

"Come on, what's your name-Wah!"

Yugi cringed as the boy slipped off the wall, falling to the large ferns, before a heavy thud came from behind it. Yugi stood still for a few moments, waiting to hear some sort of noise from the boy, but there were only the chirps of the nearby birds. Slowly, he took a step forward, leaning up on tip toe to attempt to see the boy more clearly. He moved closer and closer to the fallen boy, stopping until he came to the bush the boy had fallen behind, watching him intently to see if he woke up.

He laid unconscious on the soil, bruises starting to appear on the skin that was visible, and an unsightly cut on his leg bled out over his skin. Though his external damage seemed to be little, Yugi could not vouch for any broken bones, and grew worried about how to heal such severe injuries.

"I wonder if he's dead…" Yugi whispered as he sidled round the bush, kneeling down by his side and looking up and down his body.

_'Yugi, can you hear my heartbeat?'_

_'Yeah…it sounds like it's in water…'_

_'If you ever need to check if I'm dead, press your ear to my chest. If you can't hear this beat, it means I am no longer. It is very important for you to remember this'._

Yugi bit his lip and looked to the boys chest, it was barely covered by his ragged and thin jacket, but looked just the same as the mans' before did. Yugi leant his head down, gently resting his ear onto his chest, moving around slightly until he could hear it. The faint pumping of the muscle, surrounded by the gushing of moving blood, and even the faint wheeze of his breathing was heard. The boy was still alive, even though Yugi had told it was sure death if Yugi tried to climb the wall, and fell.

"Ngh…urgh…"

Yugi gasped and stumbled back up onto his feet, the boy gave another groan as his head began to move, and his eyes began to twitch. Yugi looked around before ducking behind the bush, only peeking his eyes over the twigs of the plant, watching the boy curiously as he opened his eyes and rubbed his head.

"Urgh…I feel sick" He muttered, forcing his arms to push him up "Must've hit a rock…"

He then raised his brow when he heard a snap, turning his head to the bush, smirking when he heard a small gasp and a rustle of the plant. He flexed his arms and stood up, giving a small hiss when his leg gave a painful throb of blood, noticing the cut.

"Ah, that's going to hurt" He muttered, but turned to the bush, moving closer to it "So, did my fall amuse you?"

There was no answer from Yugi, so the boy began to circle around the bush, and when he saw the boy nearing him Yugi too circled the opposite way so they still stayed on opposite sides. A safe distance put between them due to the bush.

"Where you going huh?" He continued to ask, continuing to follow Yugi around "Come on, let me see you properly now".

He then reached over the bush, grabbing Yugi's arms and pulling him away from the bush, Yugi gave a scream and began squirming in his grasp. He managed to force Yugi out into the open, despite his wriggling in his arms, and pulled the small child to his chest so he was restrained further.

"Hey, hey, calm down. I ain't gonna hurt you" He soothed as Yugi tried to shake his way out.

After a while, Yugi fell still and looked up at the male, being greeted by his smirk staring down at the boy. The two stood in silence for a few moments, and when he was sure that Yugi would not run away again, he eased his arms away.

"There, you see?" He gave a small chuckle and put his hands on his hips "So, what's your name?"

Yugi turned to face him, his fingers lightly playing and fiddling with one another, still unsure whether or not the boy was a friend or foe.

"Yu…Yugi…" Yugi whispered.

"Yugi eh? Huh" He then gave a smile and held out his hand, causing Yugi to back away slightly "I'm Yami, pleased to meet ya".

Yugi stared at the hand for a few moments, gently reaching out to grasp it, shaking it up and down gently with Yami. Once they exchanged a handshake, Yami let go and looked around the paradise he had fallen in, taking in the true beauty of the garden around him.

"So…you here alone?" Yami queried curiously.

"Y…Yeah…I had a man living with me…but…he died…" Yugi explained "Wh-What are you doing here? I-I was told…that no one would be able to find us here…"

"Yeah, I could imagine" Yami muttered before he turned back to Yugi "I was…err…getting away from some people, and they kinda…chased me away…"

Yugi tilted his head "Huh? Why were you getting chased…?"

"Umm…there were these people, really nasty people; they have a vendetta against me or something, and I didn't do anything wrong, and they still chased me away from my home. Can you believe that?"

"E-Eh? And you didn't do anything wrong?"

"No, of course not. It's adults these days, they just hate kids like you and me. Really unfair don't you think?"

Yugi gave a small hum in agreement, watching the male cautiously before looking down at his leg, seeing the red colour spreading down his skin "Y-You're leg…"

"Hm? Oh yeah" Yami lifted his leg up to inspect the cut "Must've got it from a twig or something, don't suppose you have a bandage or something do you?"

Yugi shook his head "Damn…ah well, I can make do" Yugi watched as Yami knelt down, resting on one leg so that his longer trouser leg was visible—leading Yugi to wonder why one trouser leg was far longer than the other—he then grabbed hold of it, and tore it fast so a ragged and threaded end was left on his leg, he then turned to his other leg and wrapped the piece of cloth around his cut. He gave a small tug to the ends, making sure it was tight before standing up.

"There, just as good right?"

Yugi gave a small nod and watched as Yami paced around, turning to the pond and peering into the water, watching as the fish scurried away when his shadow was cast over the water "So…nice place you got huh? But all alone…not really fun by yourself is it?"

Yugi approached carefully, still cautious about Yami, and put a safe distance between them as he stopped a few feet between them "I don't know…I have…fun…"

"You sure sound like it" Yami teased with a smirk, beginning to move around again, deciding to circle Yugi again "I know what real fun is, I live it every day. You could learn a thing or two from me".

"L-Like what…?" Yugi questioned.

"Dancing, singing, games. I do pretty much anything that amuses me. Even fighting if the occasion calls for it. What do you do for fun, eh Yugi?"

Yugi found his eyes watching his feet, following them as they began to tread a path around his body "I…watch the plants grow…and…sing…and eat…"

"And all alone right?" Yugi gave a small nod "Well that makes it automatically boring. Anything done by yourself is no fun, but if it were with someone else I'd at least admit it might be fun" He then gave a hum, stopping in front of Yugi, and twirled some loose hair around his finger "Actually, I was thinking about getting a few additions to our group. You'd make the perfect newbie".

"Huh…? Group?" Yugi repeated, tilting his head "I-I thought it was just you…"

"Nope! Back home I have a group of thie-err…I mean orphans'" Yami explained with a grin "I look after them all when no one else wants to look after them, and you're an orphan, am I right?"

"Mm…"

"So, that means I can look after you, right?"

"But…does that mean…you want to stay here…?"

"Pfft! Are you kidding?" Yami cupped his hands behind the back of his head as he idly glanced to the garden "I'd probably last an hour here the most. Nah, I mean you come with me, live with me for a change".

At the proposition Yugi felt his back tense up, shaking his head violently "N-No! I can't leave! I-I was told I would die!"

Yami raised his brow at Yugi's words "Yugi, you're like two or three years younger than me, am I right? I've lived longer than you outside of this boring place, do I look dead to you?"

"N-No…"

"So you have nothing to worry about, what's the worst that could happen?" Yugi gave an unsure hum, still apprehensive about the offer "Besides, how long can you last in this garden anyway? You'd probably run out of food sooner or later, and then you'd starve. Or worse, you could get really ill, and there'd be no one to treat you, so you'd die all painful and like. Would you prefer that than being with my group?"

"Mm…" Yugi played with his clothes, running them over and under his fingers "Suppose so…" He ended up muttering.

"At least give us a try" Yami encouraged, lightly tapping his shoulder "And if you don't like it, I promise I can take you back. What do you say?"

"Mm…okay…" Yugi agreed quietly.

"Great. But first" Yami gave a yawn and stretched his arms out "I'm really tired! I've been running all night, don't suppose you have a bed or something do ya?"

"I…have my bed…" Yugi suggested and turned to the direction of his bed "You can sleep on that…"

"Cheers Yugi".

Yugi led Yami through the garden, lightly checking on the plants and trees they passed until they came to Yugi's leaf bed, Yami raised a brow as Yugi rearranged the bed to fit Yami's body length.

"I know I don't have a lot to say about beds…but…you sleep on a pile of leaves?" Yami queried.

"Um…yes?"

Yami gave a small shrug of his shoulders "Well, whatever. I suppose a bed is a bed" Yami fell to his knees, giving another yawn as he crawled onto the bed, allowing Yugi to gently pull the leaf cover he used over Yami "You're very strange Yugi…you know that?"

"Oh…okay" Yugi watched as Yami laid himself down, resting his head back and giving a small sigh, closing his eyes gently "Are you comfortable Yami?"

"Yeah…surprisingly" Yami gave a small chuckle as he tilted his head to one side "Kinda like…a fur blanket…"

"I'll leave you to sleep then" Yugi stood up, keeping his eyes on Yami as he backed away, only leaving him when he turned to the path again.

Yugi did his usual patrol around the garden; he checked the seeds on the grave which had not sprouted, he checked the ferns and trees while getting food, and made sure the flowers were fine. However, he found himself growing tiresome at checking the plants, and was more curious about how Yami was doing. Yami had fallen asleep by the time Yugi returned to him, the leaf cover had somewhat lowered on his body while he tried to lay comfortable, but he did not seemed bothered by it. Yugi knelt down by Yami's side, unable to think about anything else to do while he waited, so opted to be near him in case he needed Yugi's aid.

As he slept calmly Yugi watched every small movement he made, from the odd twitch of movement to the gentle rising of his breathing, it was all new to Yugi. He had never seen a person sleep, aside from the man he had lived with, but that turned out to be more than sleeping. It looked peaceful, and almost picturesque against the garden, it made Yugi wonder if he looked much like Yami did in his sleep.

Yami slept for a few hours, undisturbed by Yugi's presence. The child kept himself sat by Yami's side, idly playing with his hair or lightly feathering over his clothes to feel the roughness of the fabric, exploring everything of the new person in his world.

Yami began to wake up, giving a small mumble of unintelligent words before his eyes opened, he then turned his head slightly when he noticed Yugi sitting patiently by his side. He gave a yawn, stretching his body out before sitting up, rubbing his eyes and turning to Yugi.

"Hey…you been there long?" Yugi shook his head, hoping that Yami would not see the lie "Right…how long have I been asleep?"

"Umm…I don't know" Yugi answered, looking up at the sky to see the suns position "A while I guess…"

"Right" Yami gave another yawn and flexed his arms "Well…I'm pretty hungry. You got any food around here?"

Yugi gave a nod and stood up, waiting for Yami to follow his lead before walking through the plants, going straight to the fruit bearing trees. Once seeing the trees, Yami couldn't help but glance at them, raising his brow as Yugi moved closer and picked fruit for them.

"This…is what you eat?" Yami queried.

Yugi turned to Yami, holding out the fruit he had picked "It's edible".

Yami gave a hum, taking the food and biting a chunk out of it, as he chewed on the soft mouthful he looked up at Yugi "I prefer meat in my diet" He explained, eating some more as juice dribbled down his mouth "But this ain't bad".

Yugi gave a smile, happily eating away through their fruit. After Yami left a core behind, he tossed it aside and wiped the back of his hand against his mouth, rubbing away the sweet juice still on his skin.

"Well that'll do me for a while" Yami watched as Yugi knelt down, picking up the core and took out the seeds "What are you doing?"

Yugi looked up at Yami, showing him the handful if seeds he had collected "I'll plant them. And then, in time, they'll grow into more fruit bearing trees. And then I'll have more food, you understand?"

"Yeah…I guess so…" Yami watched as Yugi continued to pull out the seeds "Still prefer meat though".

The two continued to converse with each other, Yami being more willing to tell Yugi what he wanted to hear about him and his group, and Yugi believed every breathe that he spoke. However, it was much harder trying to convince Yami towards Yugi's point of view, Yami still argued that the garden was not much comfort to a person.

When the night cloaked over the sky, the two laid down on the grass to admire the stars above them, the odd click and chirp from the bugs hiding out in the garden echoed across the garden as they watched the sky sparkle.

"That's a nice view you've got there" Yami complimented, resting his hands under his head "You see this everyday?"

"Yes" Yugi looked over to Yami "Why? Don't you?"

"Mmm…sometimes" Yami sighed and closed his eyes "I tend to stay up late, and then get too tired to care about the sky, so I don't look outside my window often".

"Oh…" Yugi shifted closer to Yami, feeling his body warmth go against his "Will it be long to get to your place?"

"Hmm…it'll probably take us a day…" Yami admitted as he rolled his eyes "We might get there in time for supper, if we're lucky".

Yugi gave a nod and looked up at the teen again "Why were you chased…so far away from your home?"

Yami gave a chuckle, turning his head lightly to hide his smirk "Oh, I don't know. Adults these days are annoying".

"Oh…" Yugi gave a yawn, resting his head on Yami's shoulder "Wake me…before we leave…"

"Yeah" Yami looked down at Yugi as he closed his eyes, easily falling asleep against Yami's body. Yami watched him for a while, making sure he did not wake up suddenly again, and was comfortable against his own body. He reached out to stroke Yugi's hair lightly for a few moments, giving a sigh he rested his head back, closing his own eyes "You're still weird though Yugi".


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3~

Yugi woke up the next morning, giving a small yawn to the birds' songs, and rubbed his eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight. The way everything appeared normal to him when he woke up, made him want to carry out his daily routine, only stopping himself when he heard a groan from the sleeping Yami.

The young male was coiled up to his body, with the leaf cover they had used sliding off his body again, but was not seem disturbed by the lack of covering regardless. Yugi waited a few moments, debating if he should wake Yami up himself, or let his body take its time. With the apparent long travel they had, he should have woken Yami up so they could make an early start, but he left him to sleep however.

Yugi stood up, brushing himself of loose grass blades, before walking off into his garden. He stopped off at the fruit bearing trees, pulling one of the last ripe fruits off, and ate into it as he walked down the path again. He did not bother to check on the flowers, or even think to see how the fish in the pond were doing, if he was going to leave he had to see one place last.

Yugi finished off the last chunk in the fruit, taking out the seeds from the core, but kept them firmly in his hands. He knelt down in front of the grave, looking over to see if there were any sprouting flowers, but still nothing had grown. With a sigh, Yugi looked to the black seeds in his hands, before dropping them at the foot of the grave.

"I don't…know where to plant them…" Yugi admitted quietly, resting his hands on his knees, and hanging his head in shame "I won't…be able to watch over them…I think. So…I don't know where to plant them…so…will you plant them…for me?" Yugi lifted his head up slightly, expecting to see the old man sitting on top of the dirt pile, the usual scolding frown he gave to Yugi when he had done wrong. But there was no man "Why…did you tell me…there were other kids…like me? Yami says, there's a whole group of them…I'm scared…I don't want to leave…but I don't want to be alone too…what do I do?"

"Yugi?" Yugi felt his back tense up, hearing Yami's voice call for him "Where'd you go?"

Yugi gave a sigh, looking down at the grave before standing up, giving a small bow to the pile dirt "Thank you…for looking after me…"

Yugi then took off into a jog, returning to where he had left Yami, seeing the teen standing up and searching for Yugi. The young child walked over to Yami, only catching Yami's attention when he was close enough. Yami gave a sigh, patting his own chest lightly.

"Damn, you scared me" Yami chuckled lightly, putting his hands on his hips "Don't go running off like that, you've gotta stick close to me at all times, so we don't split up, okay?"

Yugi gave a nod, playing with the end of his shirt "Will…we be leaving now…?"

"Sure, uh" Yami looked around the small patch "You want to bring anything with you?"

Yugi shook his head "I've got nothing".

"Okay, good" Yami hummed, looking to the wall, and spotting the tree that grew close to the wall "Can you climb up trees? I'll help you up".

Yami observed the tree, checking the strength of the branches, before scaling up it. Yugi waited at the foot of the tree, watching Yami pull and wrap his body around the tree, before leaning over to smaller Yugi. He swung his legs over, before holding out his hand to Yugi.

"Come on, you'll be fine".

Yugi gave an unsure hum, but reached out to grasp his arm. Yami pulled Yugi up, giving a small grunt when his weight came to some problem, but pulled him up onto the branch nonetheless. Once sat next to Yami, Yugi looked all around him, seeing his garden from a higher height and a small trim of the outside world above the wall. Yami waited patiently, allowing Yugi to take in the sights, before he scooted towards the end of the branch.

"Okay, looks pretty easy to jump to" Yami then gave a small hop, grabbing onto the top of the wall, and pulling his body up to rest on it. He then turned to Yugi, encouraging him to come closer, which he did hesitantly "Don't worry Yugi, I'll catch you if you look like you'll fall, trust me".

Yugi pulled a small smile at the comment, and further shifted his body along the branch, feeling it creak and bend when it came to the weaker portion of the tree. Yugi sat still when he could not reach no further, fearing that the branch would snap under his weight, but still left him with a fair distance to jump to. Seeing his apprehension, Yami held out his arms, giving a reassuring smile to Yugi.

"Come, jump to me" Yami urged.

Yugi bit his lip, giving a small glance down to the drop below him, terrifying him to what might happen if he did fall. However, the fear only forced him onwards, and he found himself scooting along as much as he could before jumping to Yami's arms. Yami quickly grabbed onto Yugi, pulling him up onto the wall with him, and watched the young child pant heavily at what he had done.

"Hey, you alright?" Yami asked, patting his back lightly "You're shaking you know?"

"I-I'm fine" Yugi managed to answer, peering over the edge to see the other side of the wall, the more darker and shorter grass growing against the white wall "H-How are we going to get down?"

"Climb of course" Yami turned his body around, gently lowering himself down, grabbing onto the vines to show Yugi "These vines were growing here, useful eh?"

"I…I can't…climb well…" Yugi mumbled.

"It's okay, just turn around and I'll help you" Yugi gave another unsure hum, but turned his body around, and attempted to copy what Yami had done previously. Grabbing hold of Yugi's right ankle, Yami gently tugged it down, before putting it on a vine so it was stable "There, you've got one foot in place. Just keep doing that until you reach the bottom, not so hard right?"

"I-I guess not…" Yugi mumbled, moving lower down so he could grab onto the vines, and placed his other foot on top of a vine to use.

"Try not to think about it, that's the best way to go" Yami continued going lower, reaching the bottom in no time, and jumped off the vines so he could land on his feet.

Yugi watched what Yami did, before climbing down much like he had done, though had to stop to sort his uncooperative feet. Soon, however, he reached the bottom with Yami. As soon as he let go of the vines, he looked at the scenery around him. Endless fields swarmed over the area, rolling over into hills and transforming into distant forests, barren and with no interests to anyone. But Yugi found it all fascinating; the horizon was never-ending to his young eyes, no walls to stop the development of the world, and no walls to contain or hide anyone within it.

"It's…so…" Yugi paused, looking up to see a pair of birds, fluttering out from his garden and disappearing into the blue sky "Big…"

"Yup, and it only gets bigger" Yami took hold of Yugi's hand, pulling him into a walk, and moving across the fields "Come on, we want to be back home before dark".

"O-Okay".

The two did not talk much as they walked, only Yami broke the silence now and then as he estimated how far they were from his home, and Yugi only gave a small word of agreement to it. Yugi was much more interested in how the large world was to him; he stared at the forest and flower fields they passed, even tried to look into a stream they had to cross over, the wildlife tripped him on his feet now and then when it distracted him. Everything was so simple, so plain and disoriented compared to the neat and exotic garden he had lived in, but he could not help but admire the raw beauty of it.

Soon they left the wilds of the open plains, and their shoes touched a gravel path, cutting straight through the growth of the wild and separating it. Yugi looked down at his feet as they made a new crunching noise, tilting his head lightly at the material, and attempted to kick it as they walked over it.

"What's this?" Yugi asked.

"What's what?"

"This" Yugi got Yami to stop, allowing time to roll his shoes over the gravel "What is it?"

"It's gravel" Yami explained, looking down at it as well "It's used for paths like this, when we get into town they'll be proper stone".

"It's so…lumpy" Yugi mumbled, walking with Yami again, as he investigated the gravel some more with his shoes "So…odd…"

"We should be seeing some farmhouses soon" Yami murmured, looking around at the area for once "It'll be your first taste of buildings, am I right?"

"Mmm".

Sure enough, after a long walk down the gravel path, buildings started to appear. They were large, but old and decrepit houses, sitting in a field of growing crops. They were not the prettiest establishments Yugi had hoped to see, but something about their weak, skeletal design intrigued him. Perhaps it was the fact that even the weakest of creations, could still stand on their own, and survive. A few farmers were working out on the fields, but they took no notice of the children, and continued to tend to their produce. Some of them were hidden amongst the crops, so Yugi could not even see the people, giving him a feeling of relief and anxiety.

Further down the path, away from the fields and ugly farmhouses, more structures appeared. Small dwellings for people, cramped together to make the space for industrial buildings, and turning to a black colour against the evening light. Rows of streets stretched out before Yugi, hiding the wilderness he was used to, and causing him to cringe closer to Yami as he took in civilisation. The cobblestone path they took made small taps with every step they took, the walls threatened to cave in towards them, and a revolting stench came from further down the streets. However, Yugi was more interested in the few people who were walking around the streets.

Most of them were labourers; scruffy and doused in dirt, they took no notice of the two children they passed, only caring on the destination they were going to. The other people were odd walkers of the town, and patrolling policemen—which Yami was adamant to avoid for reasons he did not disclose—but they were further into the town. Yugi eyed each person that passed them on the street, and even turned to watch a carriage pulled by horses trot down the road, clinging tightly onto Yami's arm as they walked.

"They look…so…weird…" Yugi whispered, watching a pair of women walk by them, their skirts gently brushing over the two.

"Yeah, well that's rich people for ya" Yami pulled Yugi to a stop briefly, hiding himself as another officer strolled by, not caring to notice the youngsters "I live on the other side of town, so we get to go straight through the middle, good eh?"

"Mmm…" Was Yugi's response, clinging onto Yami's arm again as they returned to walking.

The further they got into the town, the more Yugi could easily distinguish the "rich" and "poor" sides of town. The centre was filled with luxurious white houses, shops of higher quality items, and even a few parks that did not quite match up with Yugi's own garden. The centre of the town did not last very long though, with Yami guiding Yugi through the streets, he was soon brought to the opposite side of the town. However, as they walked through the less grandeur houses, Yugi noted that there were other types of buildings in the district. Large, bulky buildings, much like factories or warehouses would be like.

Yami gave a sigh, checking down the street one last time, before pulling Yugi towards the gate of one of the large buildings "Finally, home. And in time for supper too, just like I said".

"You…live here…?" Yugi queried, tilting his head up at the building.

There had to be several floors inside the building, as the large building stretched higher than any of the houses surrounding it. Soft orange lights fluttered by the windows, trash and other debris littered the once clean path to the door, and a sign hanging on its hinges read "abandoned". It was clear the building—though looking somewhat reasonable on the outside—was not a suitable dwelling, especially for a bunch of kids.

"Yeah" Was Yami's response, however "It's really warm in the winter too. Come on, I bet everyone's waiting for us".

"Mmm…" Yugi hummed, sticking to Yami's side as they stepped over the rubbish.

After turning a corner, there was a set of stairs, going up one level of the building and reaching to a door. It had to be the entrance, for Yami moved over to it, muttering at how it was left ajar slightly.

"Who goes there?!" A demanding voice shouted, causing Yugi to jump back, and wobble as he hit a lone plank "Who are you!?"

"He's Yugi" Yami introduced to the boy, grabbing Yugi's arm, and pulling him back on his feet.

"Yami? You're back!?" The boy smiled brightly, leaving his small hole in the wall, where he had been hiding at the time "We've missed you! Kohaku said you weren't gonna come back, and took your place!"

"Did he now?" Yami gave a hum, staring at the wall in thought for a few moments, before pulling Yugi to the stairs "I'll deal with him. Keep up the good work, okay?"

"Yes sir!" The boy gave a small salute, before ducking back into his hole, resuming his duty as look out.

As they climbed up the wooden stairs, Yugi gave a shudder under every squeak and wobble it did to their movement, threatening to collapse under their feet. Yami did not seem bothered however, continuing up until he reached the platform and the door, Yugi slowly coming up on his heels.

Yami then gave hard knocks to the door, making the faint voices behind the wood fall silent, before he pushed it open and walked inside. Yugi followed Yami in, cringing as his face was hit with warm air, and a sweet scent of cooking food teased his senses. Inside was a long wooden table, with many different kinds of chairs seated around it, chips and stains over all of the wooden furniture. A carved out hole in the wall gave way for a chimney, with a spit balanced on the walls, a meaty chicken roasting over it. Several stairs lead up and down to the different levels of the building, and the room was inhabited by several young children.

Boys and girls, all of different ages, and all looking much like Yami did. Dressed in dissimilar clothing, torn and smudged with their daily travels, and all wide eyed with surprise at Yami's appearance. Yugi got the impression that Yami was their leader of some kind, seeing the reaction of his return, and how the boy spoke to him before.

"Yami's back!" One girl cried, leading to the group of children abandoning their duties, and running over to Yami.

At the sight of the crowd, Yugi quickly ducked behind Yami as he was swarmed by the children, hoping that the children would be too distracted with Yami's return than him. Young hands grasped at Yami's clothes, tugging on him to get his attention while they cooed over him, voicing loudly at how they had missed him.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry" Yami apologised, patting each of their heads "I couldn't help it; I couldn't run to here now could I? You'll be all put out to the fields to work, you don't want that now do you?"

This was met with sympathetic comments, allowing the younger children to hug his body as he tried to reassure them "We all thought it was the end of you Yami!"

The children fell silent, and all turned—including Yugi—to the young boy sat at the end of the table. He did not look much older than Yugi was himself, but the glare and the stubborn pose he made got Yugi cringing again, giving a small whimper when Yami moved away from him.

"Kohaku…I heard that you took over for me" Yami said slowly, different from the lighter and casual tone he had used for Yugi, it was more stern and intimidating.

"That's right, we thought you weren't coming back" The young boy spat, crossing his arms over his chest, and resting back casually in the seat "We don't need someone like you to worry everyone; do you know how much you made everyone worry? Do you even care?"

"Is that it…?" Yami walked closer to the table, picking the nearby dirty knife, and stepping up so he stood on top of the table "Well who gave you right? Huh? To presume I was gone for good, how would you fair in a situation I was in? The same way? Better? Worse?" Yami stopped when he stood in front of the boy, brandishing the knife he held tight in his hand "Maybe we should fight this out, see which one of us can hold up on his own. How do you feel about that?"

The boy glared up at Yami, but his eyes kept darting back to the knife he held in his hand, watching Yami lightly turn it in his fingers. His own mind wondering, would Yami really use it on him? It became too much, for only a few moments of thought, the boy jumped up from the seat. He gave a startled yelp, and covered his face with his hands, returning to a timid young boy that he was.

"I'm sorry!" He pleaded, quivering on his spot "I'm sorry Yami!"

"Hmm…that's what I thought" Yami gripped the handle of the knife, then throwing it down onto the table, letting the blade dig into the wood "I run this place around here, and don't you forget it".

As Yugi watched the trembling boy plead and beg some more, he found himself hugging his own body out of slight fear, not realising how Yami affected the children around him. Not only was Yami older and smarter than the people around him, but he was stronger too, and he could easily command his way to leadership. Perhaps the hidden layers underneath Yami, was that he could force anyone to do what he wished, because he had the strength to help him. It led Yugi to wonder, if he insisted on refusing him, would Yami have hurt Yugi to make him see way?

"Hey, who's this?" One girl asked, snapping Yugi out of his thoughts, and cringing when all young eyes turned to him.

"That's Yugi" Yami introduced, jumping down from the table "He's agreed to spend some time with us".

"A new friend?!"

Squeals came from the children as they rushed to Yugi, much like they had done to Yami, and grabbed every part of his body. Though Yugi tried to shy away from the attention, he found himself trapped within the tightening circle, and ended up fallen to the floor with the children falling on top of him. They still persisted to grab him however, tugging him to side to side, while they chatted and examined their new friend.

"Alright, break it up" Yami ordered, clapping the children away, and giving Yugi to chance to stand up on his own feet again "Be good to him. He's come from a long way. Far off into the fields".

"Hey, it's like that song" One girl spoke, turning to the nearest girl, who happened to be by her side "Hey there little boy, hey there little boy, from far, far away. Did you come for me? I'll hold you in my arms".

"Oh yeah, I liked that song" The other girl began to sing the song, holding hands with her friend, as they sang in tune with each other. Repeating the few lines, over and over again, in tune with each other.

The other children joined in on the song, holding hands together to form a circle, and began walking around Yugi. Yugi watched as the singing circle moved around him, keeping Yugi the centre point, as they sung their song to him. Unsure of how to react to the song, Yugi simply turned around, attempting to watch the children as they circled him.

"Alright, enough of that" Yami ordered once again, silencing the children, and breaking up their circle around Yugi "You can talk to him later, let's get back to our jobs, and I'll sort Yugi out, deal?"

"Deal!" The group of children chirped back, rushing back to the chores they were doing, before being interrupted.

"Yugi" Yugi watched Yami move closer, putting his arm around Yugi's shoulder, and guiding him to the set of stairs that went higher "Come on, let's get you some new clothes, okay?"

Yugi gave a small hum, nodding his head, and following Yami up the stairs obediently. As they walked through the corridors, they ran into a few more other children, who were helping out in the many bedrooms they had. All were happy to see Yami's return, and were inquisitive about Yugi's identity, but Yami quickly brushed them away and proceeded on. Yami pulled Yugi to a stop when they came to a door; it was just as rotten and worn away as the other doors, but Yami seemed to know what it was, and opened it up for Yugi. Inside it was completely dark, and Yugi could not see into it, Yami ventured within it however.

"Somewhere around…ah!" Yugi gave a small cringe, light coming from Yami's hands, before he set the lantern on a small hook on the wall "Okay, let's get you some clothes. You can come in you know Yugi".

Yugi shuffled closer, inspecting the small storage room, while Yami searched through a box sat on the floor. Inside was rows and rows of shelves, each filled with different items; some were packed with boxes, small decorative items were on lower shelves, and few other objects that Yugi was not sure about occupied higher up. As Yami shifted through the box, muttering quietly to himself, Yugi moved closer to one of the shelves. Sitting in front of his eyes was a music box, left opened so the ballerina figure was standing with her reflection, black marks of rust going over her frilled dress and sleek body. Yugi let his hand touch the figure, attempting to turn her around, but she was either too broken to move, or refused to move for the youngster.

"Hmm" Yugi turned to Yami, watching him pull out a rather large shirt, before tossing it aside "Nah, too big".

Yami continued to pull out various clothes from the box; dresses, shirts, undergarments, coats, even parts to clothing made it to the pile. Most were plain clothing, but others had patterns and layers to it, showing they had a more expensive taste. Yugi tried not to question about the clothes, but he became more questionable with each fine linen he pulled out, and tossed aside to the growing pile.

"Aha!" Yami pulled out another white shirt, skinnier than the few others he had retrieved, with a loose blue thread weaved into one side of the shirt "This will fit you; you're pretty small aren't you?"

"Mmm…" Yugi took the shirt off Yami, holding it out to look at it more closely, before taking his own shirt to replace it. Once the loose and fitting shirt was over his chest, he tied the string into a knot, letting it hang on his side "This…feels like…a girls' shirt…"

"Hm? Yeah, suppose it is" Yami gave a hum, looking down Yugi's body, before turning back to the box "You don't mind wearing shorts do you? I know just the pair".

"No…but…" Yugi gave a groan, playing with the loose ends of a knot "It's…a girls'…"

"Do you have a problem wearing girls' clothes?" Yami queried, turning back to Yugi, his brow rose curiously "Round here, we have to use what we take. Clothes are clothes, as long as they keep you warm, what difference does it make if they're girl or boy clothes?"

"I…suppose…" Yugi mumbled, tilting his head to the side when Yami continued to search "But…what do you mean by…take?"

"Oh…err…" Yami gave a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck, and trying to hide his devious smirk "Well, you can probably guess, we don't have any money at all. We just…borrow a few things to live on, nothing wrong with that, right?"

"To live on…no" Yugi answered, looking to the broken trinkets on the shelves "And the other things…?"

"Oh, we just find broken things, see if we can fix them up, you know?" Yami gave a hum, looking up at the items on the shelf, before returning to the box "Nice to have gifts now and then, right?"

"Yeah…"

Yami searched deeper into the box, pulling out a pair of scruffy, small brown shorts for Yugi to wear. Once Yugi got dressed in his new clothes, Yami sought through the lower shelves, going through the many shoes and boots they had collected. He gave an unsatisfied hum, seemingly looking for a particular set of shoes, which were not in the room with them.

"You have such small feet…" Yami mused, grabbing one long length boot, and taking another shorter and bulkier looking boot. With the mismatching shoes in his hands, he turned to Yugi, giving a small shrug to his shoulders "It's the only ones that fit".

"That's…fine…" Yugi replied quietly, already fitting into the trend of 'having to make do'.

"Good, I'll put them by the door downstairs" Yami walked past Yugi, reaching up to dispel the light from the lantern, leaving only the dim light from the corridor "Come on, I'm guessing supper won't be too far off now".

Yugi followed Yami back down the corridor, making sure to shut the door behind him when he left, and played with his new clothes while they walked. They soon returned back to the large table room, where everyone was busy moving around, all doing their own jobs in the room. A couple of girls were standing by the fire, cooking the chicken Yugi had seen before, while a few other girls were preparing small appetisers and such. Most of the other children were attempting to clean the table and chairs the best they could, while others laid it, with mismatching plates and cutlery. The house—if Yugi could call it a home—appeared to be built on different, unimaginable, parts of forgotten trash.

"Hey Yami, is this chicken cooked?" One of the girls asked, giving an unsure look to the meat "I can't tell…"

"Here, let me have a look" Yami stood by the girls, leaving Yugi on his own, while he checked the roasting food. He gave a hum, lightly turning it on its pole, before nodding his head "Yeah, it looks good. Who got this by the way?"

"I did!" One the girls chirped.

"Oh really? Sweet" Yami patted the girl on the head, before leaning close to place a small kiss on her lips "I'll have to remember to get you a present".

"Yay!"

Yami stayed with the girls, making sure that each and every one of them was okay, and helping out whenever he could. Yugi, however, found himself unhelpful in the present situation. Without knowing what was going on, or how things ran in the building, he felt that he would quickly become a nuisance to everyone else. After all, he knew how much of a slow learner he was, thanks to the man telling him so on most days.

"Yugi" Yugi broke out of his thoughts, turning to Yami, and seeing the male smiling at him "Why don't you help lay the table? Stops you from cluttering up the joint".

"Oh…sure…"

Once Yami had turned back to the food, Yugi watched where the few children were collecting their tableware from. A small, unstable looking cupboard was pushed into the corner, leaning on the nearest wall for support. Inside it was a shelf full of various plates, and on another was cups, and on the last was the cutlery. Each item different and unique to the rest; some were in perfect condition, while others had chips and cracks breaking them, giving each item a different appearance and story to the rest.

Yugi waited until the cupboard as unoccupied before venturing close, attempting to reach the higher shelf, which hosted the plates. But, he found himself too short to reach, so settled on collecting a few cups instead. As Yugi walked to the table, and was about to place down a cup next to a plate, he could not help but inspect each individual. Most of the cups were made out of china, and had pretty pictures of women or flowers on them, others had writing painted on that Yugi could not read. The more bizarre cups were such things as wooden squares, and large china bowls that had ripples in its design, and they made Yugi frown and question their design. Regardless, he placed them on the table, along with the others.

Yugi was much slower to set the table up, unlike the other children, who had much more time to learn. But soon everything was in place, and Yami with his girl helpers had put the food on the table, filling the table with sweet scents and a new mix of delicious colours.

"Ah, now that's how I like my meals" Yami commented, then turning to the stairs "Oi! Everyone! Dinner's ready!"

There was chatter amongst the higher levels as the children moved, soon coming down the stairs and joining the rest of the group, creating a rough total of twenty-five people or more in the room. Once the room was filled to the brim, Yami took a seat at the head of the table, and took one of the bottles placed on the table to pour himself a drink. The cloudy white liquid filled the small flowery cup easily, and almost overflowed if Yami had not put the bottle back.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Yami asked to the group.

Presuming that the rest of the children was going to sit down, Yugi did what his instincts told him was right, and sat himself near Yami at the table "Yugi".

Yugi looked up to Yami, then to the other children, realising that they had not moved closer but instead pressed themselves against the wall. Confusion and embarrassment came to Yugi, as he turned to Yami for an explanation, only to be greeted with his joker like smirk.

"To the wall, with everyone else" Yami said, flicking his finger towards the other children.

Yugi gave a shy nod, getting up from his seat, and squeezed himself in between two boys. Everyone was pressed firmly against the wall, though some had their hands on the walls, like they were ready to catapult themselves off of it. Only one thing they had was the same, their eyes were on the seats of the table.

"Ready? Three…two…one…go!"

On Yami's word, everyone sprung from the wall, taking a run to the table and its offering seats. With little time to ask or react, Yugi took into a run as well, but it was too late. The other kids had managed to force themselves a seat at the table, even to the point of shoving other children off, and the rest were left with pouting faces and soft bruises. The children at the table gave a cheer, knowing they had claimed a seat, and watched as the other children had to sit on the floor around them. It made Yugi understand what they were actually doing, attempting to create a fair trial for a seat at the table, which had a limited amount of seats. It was something that went against his slow nature.

"Hey Yugi" Yugi turned to Yami, seeing him scoot along his seat, and pat the bare strip available "You can sit with me, just this once, since you're new and all".

"Oh…thank you…" Yugi whispered, moving closer to him, and slipping his body next to Yami's. The chair gave an unhappy groan at the extra weight, but still supported the bodies regardless, allowing Yugi and Yami to sit tight together.

The children across the table already began helping themselves, picking out the foods they wanted to eat, and even pulling parts off the chicken for themselves. The once copious amounts of different foods, was quickly depleting in front of Yugi's eyes, and the small child had not even decided what to try.

Yami leant across, grabbing the leg of the chicken, and tugged it off forcefully. Once the skin and meat ripped apart, Yami sat back down, before placing the leg on Yugi's plate. Yugi stared at the golden, steaming meat in front of him, attempting to figure out how such a food came to be on his plate.

"Try it, some meat in your diet will be good for you" Yami said, picking up his drink to take a sip of it. With an unsure hum, Yugi picked it up in his fingers, and took a chunk out of it to eat. The meat was not what he had imagined it to be, the tasteless food did not compare to the fruit he was used to, but the heat was something that he rather enjoyed tickling his throat "Would you like something to drink Yugi?"

Yugi looked up at Yami, eyeing the misty drink he had, before nodding "Yes…please".

"Okay, round cup or boxed?" Yami asked.

"Round…please".

"Sure" Yami then reached out again, picking up one of the smaller cups, and placed it by Yugi's side. Yugi watched as Yami picked up the bottle again, took off the covering, and poured Yugi a drink. Yugi watched as his cup was filled instantly, being much smaller than the other cups used, the misty liquid took up residence inside it. Yami covered the lid of the bottle again, before turning to Yugi, and smiling as he tried to peer into his cup "Go ahead, drink".

"What…is it?" Yugi asked, picking up the cup, and smelling the liquid. His nose crinkled at the strange aroma from it.

"Sake. It's a good drink, try it".

With Yami's words of encouragement, Yugi felt there was no harm in trying, so closed his eyes and drank. As soon as the liquid hit his senses, Yugi felt his throat close up at the harsh tasting alcohol, and ended up coughing up half of the sake back into his cup. Yami gave a chuckle at Yugi, patting his back to help him ease through the taste.

"You'll get used to it, I'm sure" Yami soothed, taking another sip of the drink.

The evening carried on far into the night; everyone ate, and drank, and chatted to each other. Though Yugi felt left out from most of the conversations, he was glad that he was at least able to sit with them, and to watch how other normal people acted around each other. They were all happy, and smiling, enjoying each other's presence. Yugi could not remember the last time he enjoyed being with another person, aside from the man he had lived with, but even he could not deny that it was not as optimistic as it was with Yami.

Staying up late, however, was something Yugi was not accustomed to. He soon found his eyes growing heavy, and his head bobbed to the side now and then, until he fell asleep while resting against Yami. Yami did not mind, trying his best not to move his left arm, and let Yugi sleep through the meal. However, when the meal was eaten, and everyone was getting ready to return to their own beds, Yami turned to Yugi and shook him awake. Yugi gave a groan, his heavy eyes turning to Yami, giving a silent question as to why he was awoken.

"Come on, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping" Yami said, patting Yugi's shoulders to get him moving, and stood up from the seat.

He quickly took Yugi's hands, seeing the child tilt from his sleepiness, and guided him up a second flight of stairs. The corridor looked much like the other one, but only on a different side of the house, so it had a different view from the windows. The rooms though, habited several beds, where everyone slept. A few of the children were already in their rooms, talking quietly to each other while they dressed, and others were already lying in their beds waiting for the lights to go out. Yami pulled Yugi to one of the rooms, pushing the door open to reveal five beds in total, but empty at the current time.

Yami pointed to a bed, closest to the door "That's yours" Yami said, allowing Yugi to shuffle in, and inspect the fabric made bed "It's alright. Maybe not the best, but a bed's a bed, you know?"

"Mmm…" Was Yugi's response, gently letting his body fall to the pillow "It's…soft…"

"Have a good night Yugi. My room's on the highest floor if you need me" Yami said quietly, and shut the door behind him, letting the bedroom be consumed by darkness.

Yugi kept his eyes open for a while, listening to the creaks and voices of the other children still awake, keeping him distracted by the dark shadows casted from the window. However, when the other children who slept in the room came, Yugi quickly shut his eyes to pretend he was asleep. But with his eyes closed, Yugi soon succumbed to sleep regardless.

Yugi awoke a few hours later, seeing the room just as dark as before, and the outside corridor deafly quiet. At first, Yugi laid in his bed, knowing that the several lumps under the covers were other children. He felt uncomfortable sleeping in a room with strangers, regardless of how friendly they were, he wanted to be sure that he was guaranteed safety on his first night.

Doing so quietly, Yugi slipped off from his bed, and opened the door. Checking back on the other boys, Yugi shut the door behind him, and went in search of Yami. He remembered Yami's directions for his bedroom, but he was not even sure what the highest floor was, or how many rooms were on the highest level was. What if he mistook Yami's room? Got into trouble for walking around at night?

The steps on the stairs gave unfriendly snaps and groans as Yugi climbed them, but seeing that no one awoke from the noise, he continued upwards. After ascending stairs after stairs, Yugi finally reached the last level, where Yami's room was supposedly on. It was a thin corridor, with the wall slanted slightly, most likely due to it being close to the roof. The walls were bare, with only one closed door at the end of the corridor, where Yami slept.

Yugi approached the door quietly, debating if he should knock or just enter, but ended up opening the door anyway. Inside was dark, and almost impossible to see. But in the thin strip of moonlight, Yugi could see a stretched hammock by the window, hanging on two support poles in the room. Yami was lying asleep on the hammock, oblivious that Yugi was there.

"Yami…?" Yugi whispered to him, but with his quiet voice, Yami did not hear "Yami?"

With the louder tone, Yami managed to stir awake. Turning over in his bed, Yami rub his eyes, and squinted at Yugi "Yugi…? What's up?"

"I…I can't sleep…" Yugi mumbled, his fingers fiddling with the doorknob "I…can I sleep with you…?"

"What? I don't…" Yami gave a heavy sigh, throwing off the blanket that was over him, and gestured Yugi to come closer "Alright, come here then".

Yugi slid himself in, shutting the door behind him, and coming closer to the hammock. Having never seen such a design before, Yugi was curious as to how it would fair with the two of them on it, but persisted to climb onto it. The hammock lightly rocked and swung as Yugi scrambled on, throwing the child off, and thinking it was going to break. However, it soon turned into a peaceful rock, and Yugi found it somewhat hypnotising as he laid next to Yami's body. Yami gave a yawn, then wrapped an arm around Yugi, keeping him close as Yami rested his head back against the pillow.

"You comfortable Yugi?" Yami asked, closing his eyes already "Try not to move too much, alright?"

"Okay…Yami…?"

"Mm?"

"I…I had…fun today…" Yugi whispered, closing his eyes, as he pressed his face into Yami's chest "Thank you…"

"Anytime Yugi…anytime…now, let's sleep alright?"

"Okay".

Yugi gave a sigh, letting the last of the rocking hammock ease him off into sleep once again, and find comfort being against another person's body once more.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4~

Sleeping next to Yami during the night, gave him the peace and comfort of a warm body, and the hammock coiled around their bodies like strong protective arms. He had never slept in such pleasure before, not even his old leaf bed could compare to the comfort Yami's bed gave him, he felt like a child again. Being able to sink into the protective hold, and know that he would be looked after, without having to depend on himself.

Yugi gave a small groan when he felt the morning sun; the golden light seeped through the window, caressing any bare skin it happened to come across, and warmed the two youngsters to awaken. Yugi felt his eyes flutter open, and after giving a small yawn, he looked up to Yami. He was still sleeping, despite the sun ordering him otherwise, and seemed comfortable using Yugi as a second pillow. The child did not mind the weight laid on him, he had, after all, used Yami's bed for that night. There was little he could argue against if Yami wanted to sleep on him.

While waiting for Yami to wake up, Yugi noticed a small flash of light, and moved his eyes to stare at it. A small round circle of brilliant light laid over the overs, much stronger than the sunlight, and almost dominated the strip of sunlight it rested on. Though where it had come from, left Yugi perplexed.

After a few moments, several more spots of bright light scattered over the bed and walls, and Yugi began to panic in case it was an invasion of some sort. Round, squared, big and small blotches of pure white light scattered over them. But they did not seem to hurt them, and were motionless as well, so proved that they were no threat to the males. After staring at the light blotches, Yugi slowly turned his head so he did not wake Yami up, and tried to find out where the lights had entered the room.

On the opposite wall were many mirrors, hung and leant up against the wood of the wall so they faced the window, and capture the morning sun's rays when it peered through. They shone brightly like a beacon, casting their reflective brothers over the hammock and anything else in their way, creating the fairy like shapes Yugi had seen. The mirrors were all different shapes and sizes, some were even broken, but Yugi was certain that Yami had collected them on his travels.

Yugi felt a little embarrassed when he realised they were just reflections, having seen the same technique on his pond back in the garden, but he had never seen such light become so powerful before. Still a little intrigued by the reflections, he held out his hand, placing it in between the sunlight and a mirror so a shadow was cast. Feeling the sunlight touch over his hand, he gave a small smile at the growing warmth it created, telling the rest of his body that he was cold and forced him to shiver.

After a while of playing with the light, Yami gave a small groan, making Yugi pull his hands back. He looked up at the sleeping Yami, to see his heavy eyes barely open, before he was overcome with a yawn. Stretching his arms out, Yami finally opened his tired eyes, and turned to Yugi. Smiling when he noticed the child was awake, and stretched yet again.

"Morning Yugi" Yami greeted, mumbling it out "Good sleep?"

"Yeah…" Yugi then eyed the wall of mirrors, noticing that the top half of the mirrors was losing their shining light rays "Yami…you're mirrors…"

"Hm?" Yami looked over to his wall, giving a smile when noticed the sparkling mirrors "Ah, nice to wake up to it like that, am I right?"

"Mm…yeah" Yugi whispered, watching them almost twinkle in the sunlight.

"I like to think they're day stars" Yami explained, cupping his hands behind his head "I mean, they're bright enough to be stars, don't you think?"

"Yeah, exactly like stars".

The two laid in silence as they watched the mirrors, admiring their bright beauty, and occasionally letting their hands block the way of the sunlight. But after a few minutes of relaxing, Yami sat himself up and jumped off the hammock, causing it to swing lightly at the movement.

"Well, we ain't going to get anything done by just sitting here" Yami turned to Yugi, held the edge of the hammock, and shook it playfully "Come on sleepy bones, get up".

"A-Ah! Sure!"

Yugi scrambled with the blanket, but soon jumped off from the hammock, and stood on his own. The hammock gave a lifeless swing as Yami let go of it, looking weaker and sagged without anyone using it, appearing that it was almost sad that no one was using it. Yami walked round to Yugi, patting his shoulder, and thumbing to the door.

"Everyone usually has a bath every morning to freshen themselves up" Yami explained, lightly pushing Yugi to the door "You should try it too. Then we'll get down to work, alright?"

"O-Okay…"

As Yugi left Yami's room, he realised that Yami was not going to follow him, leaving him to find the bathroom on his own. The more Yugi progressed down the stairs, the clearer the children's voices were, so opted to follow them to find the baths. Leaving the last step Yugi soon entered the eating room, seeing its empty and forgotten state everyone had left it in the previous night; the cooking instruments they had used last night were still lingering around, waiting to be cleaned up for their next uses, the plates on the table still contained leftover wastes from the delicious dinner prior, and there was a small congealed cup of sake that someone had not finished drinking. It was a different contrast to the beautiful meal they had the previous night, but Yugi tried to reassure himself, that everyone must have been too tired to clean their mess away.

Yugi then turned his head when he heard a door open, seeing one of the younger boys he recognised from the previous night, drenched in water as he grabbed a nearby cloth. Yugi attempted to stay quiet, hoping that the boy would not notice him, and return to his bath that he had left.

However, the boy looked up, and spotted Yugi "Oh, morning Yugi" He greeted, turning back to the door "Come join us in the baths, okay?"

"Y-Yeah…"

Yugi watched the boy slip behind the door, though left it ajar for Yugi, and called out to his friends below them. Yugi waited a few moments, before approaching cautiously, and pulled open the door slowly. The voices and laughter of the children floated up the stairs, beckoning him to join them, though his name was never mentioned. His mind began to fill with all the possible outcomes, some of them taking a turn for the worse, and making him shudder in fear.

However, Yugi began to walk down the stairs, convincing himself that it was all in his mind. Yugi listened to the cheery words of the other children, squealing and laughing in happiness, and the splashing of water. The stairs came to an end in a small corridor, darkened by the lack of light, but Yugi could make out two doors in the narrow passage. One was at the far end of the corridor, while the other was at the foot of the stairs.

The voices came from behind the closer door, so Yugi gently opened the door, and peered inside. Two large circular tubs were sat next to each other in the room, one was filled with the girls, while the other occupied the boys. Discarded clothes laid scattered in heaps over the floor, while rags and cloths hung on metal hooks by the bathes, along with other such basic bathing toiletries. Being underground, there were no windows to the outside, so the only light was from a lone candle sitting on a corner shelf. Yugi could barely make out the other children in the dim, flittering light, let alone any safe path towards the bath.

"Hey! Keep the door shut you're letting the warm air out!" One boy shouted.

"S-Sorry!" Yugi apologised, jumping onto the first step, and shut the door behind him.

Sealing himself into the bathroom, Yugi figured he had no choice but to take a bath, so carefully walked down the few steps. Upon approaching the boys' bath, Yugi took off his clothes and made sure to fold them, and placed them against the wall so they were far away from stray water. He then cleaned himself down, with the help of the other boys who passed him anything that he needed, and was ready to join the others in the bath. He stood by its edge, biting back his lip as he looked for any available space to take, but all the boys had occupied the edge of the bath themselves.

"What'cha doing standing out there?" One boy asked, turning slightly to see Yugi "You'll freeze your ochinchin off".

"Th-There's not enough room" Yugi mumbled out an excuse.

"Sure there is! You're a skinny kid as it is!"

Two of the nearby boys reached out, and grabbed Yugi's arms, keeping a strong hold on him. The boys pulled Yugi in, making the child yelp before he was pulled under the water, the boys let go of Yugi so he could resurface and take a deep breath of air. The boys gave a laugh as they moved out of the way, giving Yugi space to scramble to the edge of the bath, and clung onto the bath edge as he gasped for breath.

"I-It's freezing!" Yugi whimpered, feeling his skin cover in goose bumps, and his body tremble at the temperature.

"You'll get used to it!" Another boy chortled, turning back to the conversation they had stopped.

Yugi took a few minutes to catch his breath back, and shiver uncontrollably, until his body got used to the water temperature. It numbed down his senses, and an odd tingling feeling came to the tips of his fingers and toes, but he was accustomed to the water. Yugi rested his chin on the edge of the bath, looking down at the dark and dirty floor, before looking up at the girls in the bath next to him.

They were having a quieter and more secluded chat, giggling with each other at some parts, but vastly more contrasted than the boys' rowdier conversation. They attempted to ignore the boys; however, when noticing Yugi they turned around.

"Hey, no peeking" One girl snapped.

The nearest girl turned around, placed a hand over Yugi's face, and pushed him back into the bath. The boys gave a laugh as Yugi shook his wet hair, and waited until he rested back against the bath, before they brought the boy into their conversation. Though Yugi sat clueless to what they were talking about, and he stammered and fumbled with his words when they asked for his input, he was happy. The laughter, the concern, the all-round socialising was refreshing. It was different from what he had been taught by the man; it was a more teacher and learner relationship they had, but with other people, who actually cared and listened to what he said, was something he never thought he would experience. Despite the cold water, Yugi could feel a small, tingling warmth grow inside him.

After what seemed like hours talking and bathing, the door open, and everyone looked up to see Yami. He was dressed in his rags again, and seemed much more alert than when he first had woken up, though it did not seem like he was going to join everyone in the baths.

"Alright, you little kiddies washed and cleaned?" Yami queried.

"Just about! We're running out of things!"

"Well that's one thing we can get for today" Yami commented, hopping down the stairs, and approaching the baths "We'll also need a group to collect food, some of the girls to fetch us money, and some to stay behind and clean. Now, who wants to do what?"

A chorus of voices filled the bathroom, making Yami smile and chuckle, attempting to soothe the voices of the children.

"Alright, I get to make the decisions around here" Yami reinforced, he then gave a hum and began sorting the kids into certain groups.

As Yugi watched him, he gave a curious frown at some of the names of the orders he used. He gave them particular things he wanted them to 'take' and gave them certain areas for them to go to, districts and street names that Yugi did not recognise, most likely the town they resided in. After Yami had sorted everyone, he came to Yugi. With a wide grin, and a small point to the young boy, he spoke.

"You'll be coming with me" Yami instructed "We've got to show you the ropes of this place, am I right?"

Yugi gave a shy nod "Alright, out of the baths everyone. I want everyone to be working in ten, got that?"

"Yes!" Came the cheery response.

As Yami turned to walk out, everyone scrambled out of the baths, causing more commotion that Yugi opted to stay out of. Everyone stood out on the dirt covered floor, picked up the thinly threaded towels, and began to dry themselves down. It seemed even towels were on shortage, as some children had to share with their friends, and giggled at the closeness they had wrapped up in the fabric. Once dry, everyone began to dress themselves, and even resorted to swapping clothes with others to have variety among them.

Yugi waited until they had left before getting out, shivering some more at the loss of water around his body, and decided to dry himself quickly to put his clothes back on. Once dressed, and the tips of his hairs were wringed out, he followed everyone back upstairs. But as soon as he reached the upper floor, he was kept at the door, and waited as Yami handed out his mismatching boots to him.

"Let's go" Yami turned to one of the other boys "Get the lantern will you? I can't be asked myself".

The boy gave a small 'tch' at Yami's lazy request, but did as he was told, and hurried up the stairs to collect the lantern. While he was gone, the rest of the group—including Yugi—fitted on their shoes, and descended back down into the dark corridor. It was an odd sensation for Yugi, one boot higher up his leg, while the other hugged tightly around his ankle. He could not help but feel exposed slightly, and found himself unconsciously trying to hide his revealed leg behind the other, he figured it was because he was not used to such shoes.

After a few moments, the boy returned, holding out a glowing lantern. With its small light, it lit up a small portion of the corridor, but it was enough to see the state of the small room. The stone walls looked cold and dead, reminding Yugi of how he found the man prior; he was almost the same shade of light blue as well. It had become damp, and small patches of rot and other fungus grew in corners and cracks. It was not a pleasing sight, but then again, it was just a corridor and not as important as other rooms.

Yami took hold of the lantern in one hand, and slipped his other arm around Yugi's shoulders, pulling him along to the door at the end of the corridor. As they approached it, a sudden dread hit the child in the stomach. What laid behind the door? Yami only mentioned that Yugi had to learn the ropes, but what did that entail? Trails? Tests? Yugi was not sure if he could keep up with anything Yami threw at him, he was already slow learning how to live with them, how was he to survive anything else coming his way?

Yami had opened the door, and the gentle sound of dripping water pulled Yugi away from his thoughts, staring into the black abyss in front of him. It seemed to be a tunnel, little natural light coming in from the gaps, and a trickling stream ran down the middle of the bricks. An unpleasing smell came from it, and somehow the coiling walls gave Yugi an unwanted sense of claustrophobia, but he knew Yami was going to push him into it.

"Newbies first" Yami said, pushing on Yugi's back, so he stumbled into the tunnel.

The rest of the boys followed, leaving the last to shut the door behind them, locking them into the stretching tunnel. Yugi's eyes adjusted to the dark, making the faint outline of the tunnel continuing even further, making Yugi wonder how far the passageway went on for.

"Welcome to the sewer tunnels Yugi" Yami introduced, patting his shoulder at his confused face "This is where all the crap goes. But don't worry; we stick to the tunnels that deal with rainwater".

"Okay…" Yugi said, wondering what else was supposed to go into the tunnels.

"Market is in the usual spot I presume?" Yami asked, turning to the nearby boy.

"Yup!"

"Excellent, then follow us Yugi" Yami led the group deeper into the channel, holding out the lantern so it lit up the dark corners "You're going to have balls of fun".

The small group continued through the dark and damp tunnels, the dripping of the water became louder as they delved in, and soon it became an irritating chorus of drip, drip, drip. The noises from the early morning street outside echoed in, seeping in through the small grates at street level, and caught most of Yugi's attention. Soon the tunnel opened up into several tunnels, creating a maze of intricate passages, which Yugi could only assume the group knew very well. A few of the tunnels opened up to larger areas, but Yugi was quickly distracted from them, as the boys warned Yugi not to walk down them. He could not be sure what laid beyond them, but there was a vicious sound of rushing water going through them, and with a lack of swimming Yugi made sure to stay away from the openings.

After walking around for what seemed like an hour, the boys soon came to a stop, with Yami quickly turning off his lantern. They all turned to a grate, staring at the thin strip of light coming in, and the bustling sound of a street above them. Yami crept closer to the grate, standing on tip toe to peer through it, before beckoning the younger boys closer.

"Looks like it's a good market today" He whispered to them, turning back to the gate, and looking in either direction "Can't see any police either, so it's all clear".

"Any meat out there Yami?" One boy asked.

Yami attempted to see further outside, but with the grate blocking him, he gave a shake to his head "Can't see any. All just fruits and stuff".

"Aw man".

"Yugi, come here".

Yugi shuffled closer, standing by Yami's side, and attempting to see through the grate as well. However, with his short height, even bouncing did not get him seeing through the grate. Yami gave a chuckle, before holding Yugi's waist, and lifting him up so he could peek through.

Yugi's eyes reached street level, being next to the cobblestoned roads and paths, and out of anyone else's view. Many feet paced around the grate and the road, flocking towards the many wooden stalls, that had been set up on the streets edge. As Yami had mentioned before, the ones Yugi could see sold many fruits and vegetables, but he heard many voices offering to sell other items. The brims of women's skirts and ends to men's trousers skimmed the roads, and sometimes wheels passed by, causing Yugi to jump at the creaking noise. But it seemed to be an average morning, on a normal street.

"Alright, see the stall right in front of you Yugi?" Yami questioned, making the boy turn to the mentioned stall "Got lots of fruit am I right?"

"Yeah…"

"Can you see the big, red apples at the front of it?"

Yugi squinted his eyes, managing to see the group of red coloured apples, sitting perched on the edge of the stall "Yeah…I see them".

"All you need to do, is go over there, pick one of the apples up, and come back. Got that?" Yugi gave a nod "Also, try not to be seen, and be quick about it, right?"

Yugi felt dread at the quick part of the plan, but gave another nod regardless "How…do I get out to there?"

"Hold on" Yami took Yugi away from the grate, stumbling to keep Yugi at the height he was at, but managed it nonetheless.

As Yugi hung in the air, he watched another boy move closer to the grate, grabbing hold of the bars until he struggled to pull it off. It left a dirt covered hole, too small for an adult to fit through, but just about big enough for a child to slide into.

"Alright, off you go Yugi" Yami hoisted Yugi to the hole, gently encouraging his body to slide out "Make me proud".

Yugi crawled out, and stood up when his body was out of the sewers, standing still as he became overwhelmed at the sight in front of him. The crowd was chock-full with people, all moving against one another and shopping idly, ignoring Yugi and carrying on their casual lives. It was the first time he had seen so many people in one place, and they were all doing their own jobs, acting how normal people would. It seemed like such a bleak and uninteresting life on the outside, but to Yugi, it was all he could dream about.

Yugi then jumped when he felt a tap to his legs, and looked down to see Yami at the grate "Get a move on!"

"S-Sorry" Yugi mumbled, and began moving across the street.

Occasionally bumped and brushed by the other people, Yugi wormed his way around the other people, before coming to the front of the stall. The man who ran the small stall was busy with another customer, not noticing Yugi at all, as he tended to the young woman he was talking to. Yugi quickly glanced around the area, making sure no one was watching him, but the only eyes staring at him were from Yami. He was not spotted by anyone, so at least Yugi got one of the conditions right.

He looked at the apples, and was about to pick one off, sitting right on the edge of the stall brim. However, when a thought struck him, he pulled back his hand to think to himself.

Undoubtedly, Yami was testing him to get food for the other children, and Yugi wanted to help out as much as he could. But how could he tell, that the apple he was going to take, was the best from the bunch? They all looked identical, and had no other signs of ripeness to them, he did not want to pick up a bad apple. So Yugi decided he would find out the only way he did, much the same way he did back in his garden.

He picked up the apple from the stall, and bit into it.

The tough skin threw Yugi off guard, making the child frown as he had to chew it down a couple of times, but the sweet insides and juices gave comfort to his longing for fruit. It was surely a good apple to pick.

"Hey" Yugi looked up at the gruff voice, noticing the man had finally spotted the youngster "I hope you're going to pay for that".

Yugi swallowed down the apple "P-Pay?" Yugi repeated.

"You have money right?" The man's brow furrowed deep as he glared at Yugi "Or are you a no good thief?"

"There you are!" Yugi jumped when he felt arms go around him, and looked up to see Yami embracing Yugi tightly, oddly nuzzling the top of his head "I got so worried! You shouldn't run off like that! I know you're scared, but please! It's for your wellbeing!"

"You know this kid?" The man queried, raising his brow at the intimate moment.

"Yep! It's my kid brother you know!" Yami then pulled Yugi to the side "He keeps running off, doing crazy things you know?" Yami then held his hand by the side of his mouth, whispering "He's a little bit…you know…out of it. So I gotta keep him close at all times, no hard feelings though, right?"

"Yeah…right…" The man watched Yami pull Yugi away, whispering sweet comments to him, before he frowned again "Hey wait! Where's my money?!"

Yami gave a grin, before grabbing Yugi's wrist, and pulled him further down the street. Once away from the commotion, Yami turned a corner and pulled Yugi along, and stopped him in front of another grate. Yugi watched as a pair of hands gripped the bars, and pulled it off, allowing both of them to crawl back in. After Yugi had reversed through the grate, Yami followed behind, sliding in and landing on his feet. After helping the other boys put the grate back, Yami turned to Yugi, and hit him on the back of his head.

"You numbskull Yugi" Yami scolded, putting his hands on his hips "You aren't supposed to eat it in front of the man!"

"But…I-I wanted…to make sure…it was the best…" Yugi mumbled an excuse, his hands turning the bitten apple in his hands.

Yami gave a sigh, glancing to the other boys who shrugged their shoulders in defeat, unknowing of what to do in the situation. Giving a small pat to Yugi's shoulder, Yami took the lantern off the other boy, and led them through the tunnel.

"Come on, let's try again. Yugi, you can have the apple if you want".

As they walked on, Yugi looked down at the apple that had rested in his hands, guilty for even being ordered to finish off the apple when he had intended for it to be eaten by someone else. Regardless, he ate the tough looking apple, and placed the core aside in hopes it would grow again.

As the group ventured through the tunnels, Yugi was kept back, made to watch the other boys take other things from the stalls. They were quicker and nimble than Yugi, making the child feel even guiltier about his mess up before, knowing he was slow and a nuisance to everyone else. However, during the day they had collected various bits and parts, including various foods for their meal later on that day.

The group returned when the sky burned to an orange colour, and Yami herded his small group back towards their home, making sure not to drop any of their items on the way. After returning to their home, Yugi was astonished to see it had been cleaned, no less by the small group of five ordered to stay at home. Shortly after their return, the other groups Yami had sent out returned, all with their arms filled with the various items Yami had wished for. Everyone placed their collected belongings on the table, spreading the food and cloths over the wood, allowing everyone to investigate and examine their hoard.

"Good job today everyone" Yami praised, lightly skimming through the foods they had brought "Not a lot today…tons of noodles though…everyone okay with noodles tonight?"

"Yep!" Came the cheery response.

"Alright, then who wants to cook tonight?" Yami queried, chuckling when everyone pleaded and begged to be the chefs of that night.

Yugi sat quietly in his seat, too ashamed to even offer his services to anyone else, knowing that he could not redeem himself after the morning trials. As Yami named who would be doing what, Yugi hung his head, trying to think of a safe spot he would be away from everyone else.

"And Yugi" Yugi felt his back snap up, hearing the mention of his name "You can help out with cooking too, right?"

"I-I…w-well…I-I…"

"Alright" Yami clapped his hands, and stood up from the table "Everyone to work".

Everyone stood up from the table, bustling around as they got to their duties. Some grabbed the bounty off the table—along with Yami—and carried it up the stairs, others began to set the table, while the rest began to cook the meal for everyone. Despite his desire to not become a burden, Yugi found himself in a situation with no escape to, he had to do it.

Yugi shuffled closer to the group who were assigned to cooking duties, three girls and two boys, and they were already busy sorting out who was going to do what. Yugi stood at the back of the group, hoping that they would ignore him or, at the very least, give him a simple job he could understand.

"Hey Yugi, help out with the noodles yeah?" One girl suggested, beckoning him closer.

Yugi gave a slow nod, and stood by her side, watching her sort out the pot they were going to use. She balanced it through the spit, making sure it wobbled very little, before pouring the water into it. With the slurp of the swaying water, she then began a fire, letting the tips of the flames lick into it.

"Okay, you stir the noodles when I put them in, and I'll add the extras and stuff in, okay?"

Yugi gave a nod, and looked to the wooden spoon she handed to him, the small chips and cracks in it caught Yugi's attention while she dropped the noodles in. Once the flaky white strands were sitting in the water, Yugi began to poke the spoon into the clump, hearing it crackle and snap as he forced it apart. After a while of sitting in the boiling water, the noodles began to soak in the liquid, and began flimsy and soft. Yugi stirred them around idly, watching the water turn to strands of circling noodles, creating a strange like whirlpool in the pan.

"I'm gonna start putting stuff in" The girl warned, lightly tapping some powder in "Don't stop stirring!"

"S-Sorry!" Yugi apologised, resuming his stirring duties once again.

After tipping in the powder, the water became a dark orange colour, and a spicy smell made Yugi crinkle his nose at the strange aroma. The girl continued to add various other foods to the pan; vegetables, spices, flavourings, meats. It soon became a colourful blend of different foods, all twirling and mixing into one, thanks to Yugi's fixed routine of stirring. The water soon began to bubble, and slowly disappear, leaving the food to sizzle behind in its place. The group gathered round, breathing in the teasingly pleasing smell it gave, and were eager to hear for the final verdict.

Yugi took the spoon out, lightly tapping it against the pans side, before saying "I think it's cooked".

"Awesome!" One girl ran to the stairs, calling up it "Dinner's ready!"

After serving up the mountain of noodles into the largest bowl they could find, the routine race to the table initiated, making everyone race to the table. Of course, Yugi failed to get a seat once again, being shoved out of the way and onto the floor. However, Yami did not invite Yugi to sit with him, so had to make do with the other children on the floor. With his bowl filled with noodles, and given another drink of sake to drink down, Yugi began to eat through his meal with a slightly happier state of mind. He began to chat with a few other people, and even laughed along with some of the jokes and teases, beginning to act like a normal person would. It made him happier than he could ever imagine.

However, the night drew on, and Yugi found himself struggling to keep his eyes open. His head bobbed, and any attempt to eat the meal further, resulted in him drooping his hand back to the bowl. It all became too much, as his eyes finally closed, and he tipped backwards to the floor. With a loud thud, the other children turned to Yugi, seeing him sleeping peacefully, regardless of his fall.

"Yami, Yugi's fallen asleep again" One boy said.

"Oh…leave him there for the time being, I'll take him up in a moment" Yami reassured, finishing off his sake drink.

Once everyone had eaten every drop of the noodles, they began to scurry back to their beds, for some much needed sleep. Yami bent down, and picked Yugi up from the floor, carrying up to the room from the previous day. With the other boys settling themselves down in the bed, Yami slipped Yugi into his own bed, and made sure he was still asleep before leaving. He wished the boys a good night, and shut the door, returning to his own room. Walking down the corridor, Yami wondered if Yugi would come calling during the night, or if he would wake at all.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5~

The next morning, Yugi felt the sun touch and warm up his skin, disturbing him from his sleep. Yugi gave a yawn and rubbed his eyes, stretching his body under his covers, as his body grew accustomed to what would be a normal awakening routine. Once he blinked away his tiredness, Yugi looked around the bedroom he had been placed in, seeing the other beds untidy and empty. The boys had obviously woken before Yugi, and had left him to sleep undisturbed.

Yugi gave a groan, but sat himself up in his bed, feeling his heavy head rock to one side. Once his brain gathered his upright position, Yugi tossed the covers off of himself, and stood up from the bed. He gave another yawn and a stretch of his arms in the air, then once satisfied with stretching his body, Yugi left the bedroom to search out the rest of the group.

Walking down the corridors, Yugi could hear the other children's voices coming from the bathroom again, so he knew where they would be this time. However, turning the corner almost made him walk into someone, making him gasp loudly and jump back in fright.

"Whoa there" Yami chuckled, patting his chest "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"S-Sorry…" Yugi stuttered, feeling his heart beat rapidly at the scare.

"I didn't see you in the baths, I came to find you" Once Yugi had calmed himself down, he noticed the damp state in Yami's hair "Just woke up or something?"

"Yeah…do I need to go in the bath?"

"Only if you want to" Yami then set his hands on his hips "So, how do you like our group so far? Pretty fun right?"

Yugi gave a nod of his head, his hands fiddling with each other "I-I didn't think being with other people…would be so fun…I-I like it here…so…um…c-can I stay? I'll try my best to help out, honest!"

"Of course!" Yami chuckled, ruffling Yugi's hair, before holding his chin "Welcome to the gang kiddo".

Yami leant forwards to place a small kiss on Yugi's lips, pulling away and rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand, Yami watched as Yugi touched his lips "What's wrong?"

"I…I've never been kissed before…" Yugi muttered shamelessly.

"Huh, is that so? Heh. I hear your first kiss sticks around forever, so I guess that means we'll be friends for a long time, am I right?"

Yugi gave a bashful smile, but nodded in agreement "Y-Yeah…"

"Alright, come on then" Yami held Yugi's shoulders, pushing him to the stairs "Off to the baths with you, everyone's wondering where you are you know?"

"R-Really? O-Oh…"

For the next month, Yugi stuck with the group of children, and began to fit in more. He grew attached to the other children he lived with, and even became friends with most of them, slowly learning how real children interacted with each other. He learnt his place amongst the group, showing his strength and weakness within the group, staying mainly at the house to do chores rather than collecting items. He was happy, and healthy, and was finally leading what most considered a normal life.

But, despite his cheerful point in life, Yugi only grew more questionable about his life. At his old home, Yugi had a reason to do the chores the old man had asked him, and he felt that he was needed. Though he enjoyed the company of the others in the abandoned house, he felt that having a normal life in society, left his own worth somewhat empty. He had a role within the ring of children, but outside of their small collection he gave no benefit to the society, and started to doubt what his purpose in life actually was.

Yami was sat at the edge of the baths one morning, having rounded all the children up from their beds, and convinced them to take baths yet again. Boys in one bath, and girls in the other. Yami had undressed himself down to his shorts, and washed his hair on the sides, while the kids enjoyed their times in the baths.

"Hey Yami" Yami poured the water over his head, shaking his wet hair briefly, before turning to the girls "Our clothes are breaking, can we get some new ones already?"

"Huh, that time already is it?" Yami hummed, brushing his hair back from his face "Alright, I'll head to the clothes store later on. Who wants to come with me?"

A crowd of hands shot up, including Yugi—who was only beginning to offer himself for jobs—, near touched the ceiling of the bathroom. All voicing their wants to join Yami for his task, and even a few boys ended up pushing each other for better chances of being picked. Yami gave a hum, stroking his chin as he looked over the children, before pointing at Yugi.

"I'll go for cuteness this time. So Yugi, you can come with me today".

"Okay" Yugi gave a sheepish grin to everyone who groaned in disappointment, but could not help but feel happy that he was breaking away from his usual routine.

Once everyone was washed and redressed from their baths, duties were handed out, and everyone got to work. Yami made sure that everyone was satisfied with their duties, and sorted out those who still complained, before leaving with Yugi. Yugi pulled on his mismatching shoes, and stepped out the front door with Yami, taking to the early morning streets yet again.

Only a few people walked down the early streets, since it was before the rush of the market, and no one had any reason to leave the safety of their homes. Though, the further they walked through the city, the busier it grew as time went on. Carriages took to the streets as they rushed by the pair, paths became more clustered with people brushing past them, and the usual rounds of dodging police men started to happen for Yugi. It was something he thought he would be used to, but the amount of people that they had to pass and avoid in the street was still unnerving, especially with their judging looks to their dirty clothes.

Once reaching the centre of the town, Yami and Yugi had to fight their way through the crowds, having to push past just to keep on their feet. Yami came to the metal fence around the park, and walked around the edge, about to turn the corner with Yugi. However, he grabbed the younger ones arm, and pulled him back so they were hidden yet again.

"Two cops, you've got to be kidding me" Yami hissed to himself. Yugi looked round the corner, and noticed the two policemen who were standing and chatting to each other, not noticing the youngsters hiding "We'll go through the park then, come on".

"Okay".

Yugi followed Yami to the gate of the park, he made sure no one was going to stop them from entering, before pushing the pointed gate open for him and Yugi. Once inside, Yugi shut the gate behind him, and walked by Yami's side as he looked around at the park. The green garden was pleasing, but to Yugi, it was nowhere as good as his own garden. There were hardly any flowers in the park—only a few small wild flowers on uncut grass—, and had a large man made paved path cutting from one end to the other, and many fountains were built in the open spaces. A few bushes and trees actually grew on the soil, but aside from them it was less of a garden, and more of man's attempt to be elegant. There was no diversity, or colour in the park, just simple and overly green. It made Yugi yearn for his garden once again.

"Now, where's he gone to children?" A squeaky voice asked.

Yugi slowed down his pace so he could find the voice, looking around for the source of the voice, before noticing the group of children huddled around a small wooden structure. Yugi stopped to watch the children's excitement grow, letting Yami walk ahead of him, not noticing Yugi having stopped before. A small, cheaply made stage was sat in front of the children, small red curtains and hand-painted backgrounds added the feel of a theatre. A small, rosy cheeked man was sat on the stage, dressed in the most dandyish clothes Yugi had ever seen. He was talking to the children with his unusual high-pitched voice, seemingly asking the youngsters if they had seen his friend, or a man at least. His unusual and comic appearance made Yugi smile, but his diminutive size was what caught Yugi's interest more, and walk closer to the stage.

Yugi walked through the group of kids, getting odd stares as he approached the small man, and once standing in front of him got the man's attention. His inhumane eyes stared down at Yugi; they were incredibly shiny, that Yugi noticed they reflected everything in his eyes, including the young child. Yugi then reached out, holding his hand out to the man, who had to force his head to move to stare at his hand.

"Hi" Yugi greeted, finally holding the man's hand, and shaking it.

"Oh…er…hello…" The squeaky voice replied, though it sounded confused and unsure of Yugi's introduction.

Yugi was pulled away from the man, and looked back to see Yami had noticed Yugi was missing, so returned to grab him again. With a tight hold on Yugi's arm, Yami forced Yugi away from the stage and strange looks the children gave, and left them to their entertainment in peace. Once out on the other side of the park, Yugi turned to Yami, a bright grin on his face as he stared up at his mentor.

"Did you see that Yami?!" Yugi asked excitedly "That man was smaller than me!"

"Don't be so naïve Yugi" Yami scolded lightly, letting go of Yugi's arm once they were far away from the park "It was a puppet; he wasn't real".

"Oh…r-right…"

The two continued through the centre of the town, attempting to not get distracted by anything else, and avoid the policemen they ran into. Nevertheless, they reached the clothes shop at the end of the street. They had to wait a few moments for the shop to open, watching the ladies inside move things around, before unlocking the door for shoppers to enter. A few people walked in once it was open, eager to see what was on sale, and distracting the workers of the shop.

"C'mon" Yami tapped Yugi's arm, breaking the child away from his thoughts, and followed Yami across the street "You know the routine right? Just do a cute look, and say you're someone's kid".

"Okay".

Yami opened the shop door to let Yugi walk in first, before entering himself, and going off in his own direction. Yugi watched Yami walk towards the many shelves of fine clothes, occasionally looking through the pile of folded clothes, and sticking close to the other women in the shop in case he needed to lie.

Yugi quickly glanced around the shop, before going to the other rows of shelves, on the opposite side of the shop. Yugi looked through them, trying to determine what clothes would be best for the other children, as the more exquisite looking clothes would be too easy to spot in the street. At the end of the shelves stood a headless mannequin, dressed in one of the largest and puffed out dresses Yugi had seen, it made him stop and stare at the piece of clothing.

Having spent time with Yami and the others, Yugi had begun an indescribable taste towards the clothes they had taken, finally embracing the logic of making use of all the clothes they borrowed. He even developed a like towards the more feminine clothes, liking the touch of the frills, and adoring the floral patterns they had.

Though the dress in front of him was a plain murky blue colour, it had many white lace frills around the edges, and the puffed sleeves were interesting enough to take his interest. Yugi looked around to make sure no one was watching, before bending down, and lifting up the skirt of the dress to look underneath. The oval shape was dressed in the white cotton fabric, and the waist fitted tightly around the mannequins' waist, just like it would do on a real woman. Yugi gave a giggle, and slipped himself under the dress, cloaking the small space in darkness. Sitting himself down on the floor, Yugi reached up to the dress, and touched the soft hidden material. It was delicate to his skin, and made him think of how clouds would feel if they were closer, soft like a bag of cotton.

Yugi stayed under the dress for a while, enjoying the soft touches of the fabric, until the dress was lifted up again. Thinking he was in trouble, Yugi sat quite still in hope he was not spotted, though eased when he realised it was Yami.

"What are you doing under here?" Yami asked.

"I was playing" Yugi replied, smiling up at the male "It's so soft underneath".

"Is that so? Sorry, but we have to make our move in a minute, we're getting odd looks, come on out".

Yugi gave a small pout in disappointment, but did not argue, so crawled out from the dress to stand by Yami's side. Once out, Yami gave a smile and patted Yugi's hair, in an attempt to cheer him up. Yugi gave a small smile at the comforting touch, but soon returned to the duty at hand, knowing they had little time to spare.

After collecting as much clothes as they could, Yugi and Yami had to make a dash for it, since the shop owners caught them stealing the clothes. Since Yami and Yugi were faster and much more nimble, they easily escaped the adults who tried to persuade them, and made their way home with their collected goods. Once in the safety of their home, Yami decided to help out some other children who were out collecting food, leaving Yugi to help the other groups around the home.

Once it turned late into the evening, everyone returned home to admire the treasure they had gathered, placing everything onto the table once again. The table was covered in foods, clothes, and other small trinkets the children had collected over the day. The children chatted loudly about their treasure, and began discussing what they would be doing with the food, Yugi had little say as he was happy to cook whatever the others wished for.

"Hey Yami!" One of the girls spoke up "I heard there's a star shower tonight, can we stay up to watch?"

Numerous begs and pleads came from the other children, filling the building with their loud voices, and trying to sway Yami's mind. The older male gave a hum, stroking his chin with his hand, as he toyed over the thought to himself.

"I don't know…it'll be way past your bedtimes..." Yami mused, earning more complaints from the other children. Yami looked over the group one last time, before grinning, and shrugging his shoulders in defeat "Well I guess there's no point in arguing. Alright, you can all stay up late tonight, if you cook dinner quickly".

The children erupted in a cheer, and quickly rose from the table, eager to start on their tasks. Yugi helped out the other children with cooking, listening to their wild fantasies about the star shower that night, though he was left to wonder what a star shower exactly was. Once dinner was cooked, and everyone had fought for a seat at the table, everyone was buzzing about the night event. Though Yugi refrained from asking any questions about it, the obvious excitement fuelled his own curiosity about the star shower, forcing away any tired feeling his body gained as he ate.

Once the kitchenware was put away for the next day's cleaning, everyone ran through the corridors of the building, searching for a window to stare out of. As Yugi climbed the many levels, the children were pushing and squishing their bodies together, desperate to get a look out of the window at the night sky. Yugi tried many times to slip in between the small gaps of the gathering children, but he was easily pushed aside and ignored, leaving him to venture on to another sightseeing spot. However, the windows were few, and were already hogged by the other children. It left Yugi to climb to the top room of the building, knowing that the window in there would be somewhat clear.

Knocking on the door, Yugi stood waiting for a reply "Yeah? Who is it?"

Yugi opened the door a crack, peeking in lightly to spot Yami, seeing the older male sitting on the flimsy frame of the window "I…I wanted to see the star shower too…"

"Oh, is that so?" Yami moved his legs around, dangling them out of the window, and patted the free space next to him "Come on then, might start in a minute".

Yugi shut the door behind him, and jogged over to Yami, clambering up onto the window with Yami. Though the idea of hanging his legs out of the window terrified him, and the prospect of falling unappealing, he copied Yami nevertheless and looked up to the sky above them. The near black sky was littered with the small glowing dots yet again, mimicking the night sky Yugi had seen back in his old home, though the star alignment was off from what he was used to. The streets below them were completely shadowed, though seemed empty regardless, so did not worry either Yami or Yugi. It was unnaturally quiet outside, not even a whistle of a breeze passed their ears, almost as if the whole world was waiting for the star shower.

"Hey Yugi" Yugi gave a small jump at Yami's voice, but turned to him regardless "You can sing right? Why don't you sing something while we wait?"

"Oh…uh…I-I only know…one song…" Yugi mumbled quietly.

"One song is alright. As long as it's a song, am I right?"

Yugi gave a nod, looking up to the night sky above him, recalling the song he had sung to himself many times before.

_"I, see you._

_Staring, beyond._

_Your beauty, holds me tight._

_I, want to touch, you._

_Stretching out I reach far, but I cannot touch._

_Your beauty holds, beyond the horizon._

_Where are you? I call to your brilliant shine._

_When you shout back, I move my feet._

_And I, shall, find you._

_Never, leaving._

_Running after your trail, leads me deeper._

_I won't stop, not until I hold you in my arms._

_We shall run through the fields, the rivers and the forests._

_The birds shall whisper their secret to us, they will teach us to fly._

_You and I are one, two of kin._

_So when we reach our castle, let us be in peace._

_Flying with the birds, this is how it'll end._

_With you and I, together at least, let us rest in harmony._

_Running after your trail, leads me deeper._

_I won't stop, not until I hold you in my arms._

_We shall run through the fields, the rivers and the forests._

_The birds shall whisper their secret to us, they will teach us to fly._

_We'll say our goodbyes to the earth._

_Soar off into the sky._

_To our kingdom, the castle in the sky._

_We'll build a new home, you and I._

_Where peace and love shall rule, just as long as you are by my side"._

Yami smiled lightly to himself as he listened to Yugi sing, casually leaning against the side of the window, as he kept his eyes to the sky. After looking around for a few moments, a streak of white sparkling light dashed over the sky, speeding towards the distant horizon.

"Yugi, it's started" Yami said, interrupting Yugi's song, and pointing to the sky as several more streaks appeared.

Yugi smiled as he watched the sky light up with the streaks, darting and swimming across the pitch black sky, showing off their beauty to the world who had been waiting patiently. Yugi absorbed the light show above him, amazed at the speed of the light streaks, and watching them fly over before disappearing in the distance.

"It's so beautiful…what are they?" Yugi asked.

"They're falling stars" Yami explained, pulling one leg up, so he could rest his arm on his knee "I hear that if you catch one, you can have eternal happiness or something like that".

"Huh? You can catch them?"

"Sure. They're not called falling stars for any other reason are they?" Yami then gave a hum "Never heard of anyone catching it though…just a rumour…"

"Oh…" Yugi watched several more streaks pass over, before following their path in the sky, and looking out to the horizon "Where do you think they're landing?"

"Um…" Yami leaned further out the window, holding tightly to the edge "Probably somewhere in those mountains over there. It's quite a way away. Probably why no one catches them, they go the mountains where no one lives".

"That seems…rather lonely" Yugi commented, looking back up to the sky again, as the streaks began to become less frequent "It's like…they're wanting someone to catch them, but no one will find them, because they're so far away".

"You make it seem like stars have feelings" Yami chuckled.

"Of course. Everything has feelings, so why shouldn't stars?" Yugi gave a smile as he watched the last streak, before the night sky returned to its usual, placid state "I bet they're watching everyone up there, wanting to know how much fun we're having down here, so they try to talk to us by being bright".

"You are one oddball Yugi" Yami swung his legs back inside, and stood up from the window "But, whatever makes you happy I suppose, your life. Are you going to stay in here, or are you out?"

"No…I'll leave" Yugi managed to jump down from the window, and make it back to the door "Thank you for letting me join you Yami".

"Anytime kiddo" Yami replied, hopping onto his hammock, and letting it swing from side to side "Sleep tight okay?"

"I will".

Yugi shut the door behind him as Yami settled in his bed, and made his way quietly back to his room, finally feeling the effects of staying up late. Back in his room, the other boys were still awake, and chatting eagerly to each other about the star shower. Yugi had wished that he could have stayed awake to join in the conversation, wanting to tell them what he thought about the star shower, but he was too exhausted from his excitement to even try to communicate.

Once the kids had settled down in bed, and the lights had been turned out so the rooms were cloaked in darkness, Yugi laid awake in his bed as he stared out of the window. The shrunken window in the room gave only a small strip of night sky to look at, and only letting a small sliver of moonlight creep in, but Yugi continued to stare up at the night sky regardless.

As he slowly drifted off to sleep, Yugi wondered about his theory of the stars, and if they had become so lonely they dropped from the sky. If it were true, there could have been many unclaimed stars, waiting and hoping for someone to come and find them. Yugi remembered how that felt, being trapped alone in his old home, the only thing Yugi wanted was to find someone to fill that empty loneliness he had. Remembering how sad those times were for Yugi, he wondered if he could somehow change the fallen stars lives, just as Yami had done for him.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6~

When everyone awoke the next morning, there was a faint buzz still lingering within the children about the star shower, taking up most of the conversation during the baths. When the other boys had tried to get Yugi to talk about the star shower, Yugi refused, silently sitting by while the other children chatted amongst themselves instead. Yugi was sure that he must have acted strangely to everyone else, returning back to his quiet and unassuming self, but Yugi felt it was not really his fault to blame for it.

It was the strange and alien feeling deep inside him that caused him to be secluded, to not talk to anyone, and to not accept any job offers from Yami that morning. It was as if something was tugging on his heart, or that an invisible voice called to him from the distance, but what this new emotion wanted with Yugi remained clueless for the small child.

For the few days that Yugi dealt with this new 'feeling', he opted to take chores of the house, cleaning and cooking was his usual task. During most of the day, if he so much as walked near a window, Yugi would stop and stare out of it. Whether the sky had been sunny, cloudy, or rainy, Yugi would stare out at the sky for hours on end until someone found him. And even when he settled down to sleep, he'd lie awake in his bed for as long as his eyes could take, staring up at the twinkling night sky. It was almost unrecognisable to Yugi when he would stare at the sky, he felt complete and relaxed when staring at the vast sky, giving him a strange comfort of belonging every time he did stare out the window. But once he consciously knew he stared longingly at the sky, he questioned why he would do such a thing, after it cost him to rush to complete tasks set to him. However, the answer became too simple for him, and the tasks seemed meaningless to finish anymore.

One morning, Yami was making his usual rounds of collecting the children to have baths, saying the odd comment when the children made brief conversation with him. He soon came to Yugi's room, only briefly glancing to Yugi who was sat on his bed, before turning to the other boys who were having a pillow fight between themselves.

"Alright you cavemen, in the baths" Yami said, stepping back as the boys dropped their pillows, and rushed out of the bedroom to join the others. Yami was about to follow them out.

"Yami…?"

Yami stopped, turning back into the room, and turning to Yugi who was still sat on his bed "What is it?"

"I was…wondering…do you believe in…destinies?" Yugi asked softly.

"Destinies?" Yami gave a hum, crossing his arms over in thought "Well, I guess I would be lying if I said that there was no purpose for every life".

"So…you do?"

"I guess so. I'm sure that everyone has a reason to exist, otherwise they wouldn't right?" Yami gave a smile "But, I kinda think that people aren't supposed to know what their destinies are".

"Why not?"

"Well where'd the fun be in that?" Yami gave a small chuckle "If you knew what you were supposed to do, and how to do it, that'd take away the best part about living".

"I see…" Yugi murmured "So…you're saying that…people shouldn't follow their destinies?"

"That's not what I'm saying" Yami corrected "People can follow their destinies if they want, I just think that they should take it a little easy. After all, aren't destinies supposed to be like your life? If you found your destiny early, wouldn't that mean you'd die early too?"

Yugi gave a hum, nodding a little "I suppose…"

Yami gave a smile, and leaning forward, he tapped Yugi's knee to gain his attention "Come on, a bath will freshen you up. Alright?"

Yugi gave a nod, and stood up from his bed, obediently following Yami back to the baths where everyone waited for them. As usual, Yami handed out job roles to the children, giving the reluctant Yugi the duty to clean the kitchen items. Yugi tried his best to concentrate on the work, but once his eyes caught the plain blue colour of the sky, and he stared fixedly at the slow moving sky. After staring out the window for a good hour, Yugi managed to pull himself away from the window, and abandoned his duties to climb the stairs.

Yugi soon reached the storage closet, and glanced around the dimly lit cupboard, seeing only the dark shadows of the items the other children had collected. Yugi gave a sigh, before going down to his knees, and started searching through the shelves. He dragged boxes onto the floor, before opening them to look through them in the light, before turning back to the shelves. He ran his hand over the wooden shelves, occasionally twitching when his hand came across something sharp, or something cold touched his skin. Still, he searched for a particular item, and was determined not to give up until he found it.

"What are you looking for?"

Yugi gave a squeak, and jumped, hitting his hand on a shelf above him. Shaking his hand lightly, Yugi turned around, and stared up at Yami behind him. The older male stood by the door, a curious brow raised, and his arms crossed over his chest giving a quite stern gaze.

"The…bag" Yugi admitted, turning back to search through the cupboard again "The small one…with a hole in the bottom…"

Yami moved closer, reaching up to one of the higher shelves, and taking down the lifeless bag from its resting spot. When Yami held out the bag, Yugi stood up from his spot, and took the bag off of Yami without saying a single word.

"So…what are you planning to do?" Yami asked, watching Yugi inspect the holes in the bag "I've noticed something has been eating you for a few days now. Don't you want to tell me?"

Yugi kept quiet for a few moments, but after all Yami had done for him, he felt that at least telling him how he felt was the least he could do.

"I…wanted to go to the mountains" Yugi admitted, glancing to the window in the general direction of the mountains "To the stars…"

"So you were just gonna up and leave, that it?" Yugi gave a small nod, making Yami sigh, and take the bag from his hands "Do you even know how to get to the mountains? How many days it would take?"

"I-"

"What makes you think you could survive on your own? Huh? How long would it take for you to get lost, or hurt? Or worse" Yugi hung his head, letting his fingers play against each other, as he submitted to the grisly truth Yami laid to him. He knew it was a foolish idea to leave alone, even with the thought that he could get forever lost or hurt, the idea of worrying Yami and the other children seemed crueller then the outside world did "You could have just asked for help you know?"

Yugi lifted his head up slowly, seeing Yami give a small smile, as he hooked the bag over his shoulder on his fingers "Help…?"

"Of course, you're my responsibility, and if I let you go out unprepared into the world, well who knows what might happen to you. I would feel pretty guilty if I let you leave alone".

"Y-You mean…?"

"You going on about destiny and stuff this morning, you probably need to go, and there's probably nothing I can say to change your mind. However, do you think you could wait just a bit longer? Until everyone returns so we can tell them together where we'll be going".

"We?" Yugi repeated, shaking his head "I-I don't want to burden you".

"Relax, I don't mind, I need a vacation now and then anyway. Besides" Yami tapped his fingers on the bag belt "I'll be holding onto the bag until we leave, so you're stuck there".

Yami gave a small chuckle as he walked away, leaving a bewildered and surprised Yugi behind, left to turn over how Yami had become his travelling partner.

Yugi continued to work for the rest of the day, debating if he should insist Yami let him go, or be grateful that he would not be alone in his journey. But before he could come to a decision, the evening had already drawn close, and everyone had returned to the home. Yugi was sat on the floor, barely eating his food, as he listened to Yami explain the situation to the other children. There was much complaining from the other children, but Yami managed to soothe them down, and even threaten a few who he thought would try to take his place.

Once Yami was satisfied the children would be safe, he took Yugi back to the storage closet, and collected a few necessary items that they would need. As Yugi watched Yami collect the various items, he gave a small sigh, and found himself rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Yami…y-you don't have to come…" Yugi muttered quietly "Everyone will miss you…a-and I'll be slow…I-I'll annoy you…"

"Do you have a legitimate reason?" Yami asked, standing back up, as he pulled the bag over his shoulder.

"I…I don't want to…bore you…"

"Bore me? Ha! We're going to the mountains, how is that boring?" Yami smiled, and reached out to ruffle Yugi's hair "Stop worrying about me, and think about what you're doing this for. Your future, am I right? That's more important than me am I right?"

"I guess…"

"Come on, less arguing like old ladies, and more moving, am I right?" Yami started walking down the corridor, gesturing Yugi to follow "You can say your goodbyes as we leave, alright?"

Yugi gave a nod, and followed Yami back down the stairs, and back to the main room. As they made their way to front door, many of the children had stayed up to say their farewells, and to receive their final orders from Yami. After breaking away from the goodbyes, the two left the house behind, and set off through the darkening night streets.

With the sun being a small glimmer of light on the horizon, many dark shadows were cast on the street, making it easier for Yugi and Yami to hide from the policemen. Fleeting from one shadow to another, the two youngsters managed to get to the edge of the town, and made the first few steps towards the distant mountains.

As they continued down the street, Yugi ended up lingering behind Yami, letting the older male take the lead. A couple of times, Yugi stopped to look back at his city, already longing to return home and be amongst the other children. However, he knew that if he did not take this opportunity, he may not have been happy for the rest of his life. All he could do was hope he would not be delayed, and would return home happy and with knowledge.

After a few hours of walking away from the city, their feet began treading on reminiscent gravel paths, which crunched and grinded against the soles of their shoes. Despite knowing its appearance and sound, Yugi still found himself looking at his feet whenever it crunched, and lightly kicked back a few small pebbles around. He did not notice the larger rock on the path, and once it came under his shoe, he wobbled before falling to his hands and knees.

At the stinging pain to his skin, Yugi began to sniffle, before crying at the small pain. Yami turned at Yugi's crying, before hurrying back, and kneeling down to Yugi's level "What's wrong?"

"I-I tripped!" Yugi whined, hiccupping a little in amidst of his tears.

"Here, let me have a look at your legs".

Yugi rubbed his wet eyes before moving, sitting back, he let Yami take a look at his legs. Yugi's knees were smeared with light dirt marks from his fall, mixed in with the gentle trickle of blood, seeping from the scrape he had received.

"It doesn't look too bad" Yami reassured, looking up to the small child "You just scraped your knees".

Yugi gave a soft sob, and nodded his head, knowing there was little damage to but still much pain. Yami watched Yugi cry for a while, before moving his eyes up to the sky, seeing the colour grow darker with each passing second. If he let Yugi continue crying in the middle of the road, it would be nightfall before they knew it, and would no doubt have to return home regardless.

"Here" Yami turned around, and held his arms out to Yugi "You can climb on my back, I'll carry you".

Yugi attempted to dry his eyes once more, but crawled closer to Yami to take him up on his offer. Once close enough, Yugi gently wrapped his arms around Yami's neck, and hooked his legs over Yami's waist. With Yugi hanging comfortably on his back, Yami held onto Yugi's legs, and stood up to continue walking again. As Yami walked down the path, Yugi rested his head against Yami's back, using the opportunity to watch the city grow distant and darker the more they walked ahead.

As soon as the night finally covered the sky, Yami knew that they could not travel much further down the path, as it would be dangerous for them and exhaustion would overtake them easily. Barely making out the outline of a tree by the roadside, Yami moved off the path and towards it, kneeling down when he reached the base of it.

"Alright, we're gonna have to camp here for the first night" Yami explained to Yugi.

The youngster eased himself off of Yami's back, and crawled closer to the tree, letting his hands feel out the roots and trunk of the tree they had stopped at. It was lumpy, and strangely cold feeling, making it an unpleasant bed to use for the night.

"Do we have to?" Yugi asked quietly, hoping there was something aside the tree they could use.

"Unfortunately, yes" Yami answered, setting the bag down, and searching inside it "Any further, we might run into robbers, and they don't let kids off easily. At least here, we might be sheltered and out of sight".

"Oh…"

After searching around in the bag, Yami pulled out a small blanket he had stashed, and sat himself against the tree. After sorting himself into the most comfortable position he could gain, he laid the blanket out over him, and tugged on Yugi's clothes to get his attention.

"Come on, you stay close to me, alright?"

"Okay".

Yugi moved closer to Yami, and found that Yami had lifted his arm up, so he could wrap it around Yugi when he was close enough. After being brought into Yami's hold, and with the blanket around them, the tree against his back seemed even colder than it did before. Yugi gave a sigh, resting his head against Yami's chest, as he let Yami tuck the ends of the blanket around them.

"Yami…?"

"Hm?" Came Yami's response.

"Thank you. For coming with me".

"Anytime Yugi. Anytime".

A brief silence passed between them as they listened to the night world; the back and forth calling of owls, the chirpy songs of insects all around them, and a distant bark of a dog echoing on the wind. With the wild full of nature's orchestra, it seemed it would prove difficult to sleep against it, but Yugi found he quite enjoyed the noises around them.

"Hey, Yami" Yugi whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I miss your hammock…"

Yami gave a chuckle, resting his head back against the tree, and gently stroking Yugi's arm "Yeah, I miss my hammock too".


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7~

As early as it could have been, the birds began to sing, deciding to wake up the travellers under the tree. Disgruntled by the noise, Yami gave a groan, and forced his eyes to open to look around. The morning had yet to come, as a faint purple colour still hung in the sky, waiting for the sun to rise. Despite this, the wildlife around them wanted to wake up early.

Yami gave a loud yawn, rolling his shoulders back and forth to ease the aching pain, before resting back against the tree. With a sigh, Yami looked down at Yugi next to him, raising his brow at the unsettled sleep he had.

"Kids" Yami muttered, resting his head on top of Yugi's, and giving in to a second attempt to sleep.

A few hours later, when the sun had risen more, the two began to wake up. Yugi gave a yawn, forcing his crooked body to stretch, and return himself back to his regular posture. After rubbing his tired eyes, Yugi looked up to Yami, giving a smile. Yami was watching Yugi, with a raised brow, though it was out of curiosity than annoyance.

"You yawn like a puppy, you know" Yami commented.

"A puppy?" Yugi queried, tilting his head "I've never heard one before".

"Well trust me on that" Yami sat himself away from the tree, tilting his head to each side, as he groaned in discomfort "How're your legs today?"

"Mm…" Yugi hummed, tugging the covers up his body, so his knees could be seen. The blood had dried on his skin, and the scrapes he had received gave an unpleasant reddish glow, but the pain had subsided during the night.

"Don't look too bad" Yami said, giving a closer inspection to the wound "Just try not to touch them, okay? You'll make them bleed again".

"Okay…" Yugi looked down at his knees, seeing a few specks of dirt he wished to brush off, but could not disobey Yami.

Yami collected the blanket so he could put it back in the bag, and once he stood up, flexed his back once more. With a dissatisfied sigh, Yami hooked the bag over his shoulder, and helped Yugi up onto his feet again. Yugi quickly got to his feet, and attempted to mimic Yami, unkinking the locked and stiff bones in his body. However, in doing so, it made his back ache even more for trying.

"Right, I reckon we'll reach the next town in a couple of hours" Yami explained, putting his hands on his hips as he thought "And then a long walk to the capital, might be night by the time we reach there, but passing through that gives us a straight and direct route to the mountains".

"How…long will that take?" Yugi queried.

Yami gave a hum, glancing to Yugi "Depends how high you want to go up the mountain. We'll reach the base by the end of tomorrow I reckon, any higher, that's a big trek and that could take a couple of days".

"Oh…" Yugi followed Yami's lead, as he left the tree behind, and began walking on the road again "What's the mountain like?"

"I don't know. Never been" Yami gave a casual shrug to his shoulders "I hear that it's always snowing, apparently. But, it doesn't look like a really big mountain, so it can't be snowing all the time".

"Mountains snow…?"

"Sometimes. I hear that there are mountains that pass into the clouds, and they had snow all the time on them. Must be freezing on them though; if this mountain has snow on it, let's not climb it okay? I don't want to die of cold".

"Okay".

The two continued down the path, barely talking to each other, as they tried to fight off the early morning tiredness.

The two walked for a long time, keeping their eyes on the city ahead of them, noticing the faint outline of the buildings inching closer. The morning slowly changed its colour as the two walked on, leaving the purple mist of the night behind, and replaced it with the captivating pink of a new day. Yugi tried his best to keep up with Yami, but being older and having better built legs, Yugi began to find himself falling behind again from Yami's strides. He fell behind even further as time passed on, and his legs begged for rest, and his stomach yearned for sustenance. Despite the pain, Yugi said nothing, and trudged on as he watched the path intently.

After a few walking hours, they soon began to pass the beginnings of the new town, the run down houses and dirty workplaces. The streets were already alive with the bustling of workers, who gave suspicious glares to the two children, but left them to carry on nevertheless. With cobbled paths under their feet, Yugi made sure to keep close to Yami, unknowing if he could split away from his partner in their new surroundings.

They were forced to stop as a loud, pitiful, wail came from Yugi's stomach. Yami turned to Yugi, as the child placed his hands on his stomach, and waited for the painful rumbling to subside.

"I could do with breakfast myself" Yami reassured, looking down the street, particularly at the shops that were beginning to open "Question is, what exactly can we get away with?"

Yugi only gave a hum as an answer, afraid that the nausea feeling in the pit of his stomach would rise if he spoke, so decided to keep quiet unless it was of dire need. Yami continued to look around at the shops, watching as some of the few shops only began to open, while others had already been set up for a while. However, he spotted a bakery that was opening its doors, allowing a sweet scent of freshly baked bread to pass over them.

"Follow me" Yami said, tapping Yugi's shoulder, and leading him over to the bakery.

Yugi shuffled after him, watching as Yami peeked into the window, and gave a small sigh to ease his nausea. Inside, Yami could see the baker and his wife hurrying around, refreshing the shelves from yesterday's sale with the newly baked produce. After watching for a few moments, Yami turned back to Yugi, guiding him in between the bakery and the next building.

"Go through here, until you come onto the street again, alright?" Yami explained, patting his back to encourage him "I'll meet up with you in a few, with some breakfast, alright?"

"Okay" Yugi whispered, and began walking down the side path.

Once reaching the corner, Yugi looked back to Yami, seeing him check the street before disappearing. Yugi looked down the corner in front of him, seeing the other side of the shop, and the rest of the street ahead of him. Yugi approached the street, looking up as a couple of adults passed him, but ignored him nevertheless. The street housed more shops than the street he had just left, however, they seemed to have aspired for the higher classes of the town. Clothes shops, ladies shops, even a bookstore mildly caught Yugi's interest. It certainly was a place he should not be in.

"Hey" Yugi looked up, seeing Yami approach, waving an enticingly pleasant loaf of bread at Yugi "This'll tide us over, alright?"

Yugi nodded, and followed Yami as he walked out onto the street, before sitting himself down on the path. Once seated, Yami tore the bread open, breaking it into two pieces. He passed the left side to Yugi, and watched as the youngster began to eat, biting off multiple chunks in one go to settle his stomach. With Yugi's hunger settled, Yami bit off a mouthful of his own bread, and opted to watch the world go by as he ate.

Various couples and pairs walked behind and in front of them, no doubt glaring at the unclean and poor children—Yami was certain he even overheard a few of them mutter about their state—, regardless it did not bother Yami at all. It was all the same words, from the same people, empty and never true. Biting off another chunk, Yami looked across the street to one of the shops, the clothes shop catching his attention instantly.

Standing in front of one of the windows, tending to one of the mannequins dressed displayed, was a young girl. She appeared as though she worked in the shop, with her mediocre clothes, and her mediocre appearance. She did not notice Yami sat outside, staring longingly after her, and disappeared within the shop with a charming smile.

Yugi gave a hard swallow, forcing the last remaining chunks of bread to go down his throat, and settle in his stomach. Despite the food quenching his hunger, he felt like he could eat more easily. Yugi turned to Yami, and when noticing the older male was doing nothing but staring, tapped his shoulder to pull him away.

"Yami…?"

"Hm?" Yami looked to Yugi, before holding out the bread to him "Here, have this".

Yugi eagerly took Yami's share of the bread, and began biting into it, happily filling himself more "Stay here Yugi, don't run off okay?"

"Okay" Yugi said through a mouthful of bread.

Yami rose to his feet, and after checking the street quickly, ran across so he stood in front of the shop. Yugi only watched to see how far Yami would go, and when seeing he was simply across the road from him, returned to engulfing the piece of bread in his hands.

Yami stood in front of the clothes shop, peering in through the window, and spotting the girl again. She stood behind the counter, tending to two customers, who were browsing the various clothes they had for sale. Again, they did not notice Yami at the window, so he let himself stare to his heart's content.

Yugi finished the bread he was eating, giving a happier sigh, feeling more refreshed with food inside him. He looked up to see Yami again, though felt a little curious as to why he was in one spot, unusual to his active nature. Yugi stood up from the path, and after checking the street like Yami had done, he jogged over to join up with Yami again. Yami did not see Yugi approach, and continued watching the girl, getting Yugi to watch too out of interest.

"What're you looking at?" Yugi asked, earning a strange 'eep' from Yami, as he jumped in surprise.

Yami grabbed Yugi, making the younger child squeak in surprise, as he pulled him away from the window and pressed up against the brick of the wall. With Yami's hand slapped over his mouth, Yugi could not query what was wrong, and only stared up at the startled and almost fearful mentor behind him. After a few, heavy breathing, moments of adrenaline, the two turned to the shop door as it opened. However, it was only the customers that had been in the store previously, who walked on by and simply ignored the two. With the two aristocrat women gone, they were safe to feel solitude again, letting Yami breathe out a sigh of relief and release Yugi.

"Idiot!" Yami hit Yugi on the top of his head, making the child whimper, and rub his head "D-Don't sneak up on me like that! You scared the crap out of me!"

"Sorry…" Yugi mumbled, looking up at Yami apologetically.

Yugi gave his most submissive look to Yami, hoping that he would earn Yami's forgiveness, though noticed Yami's expression for once. He seemed uneasily tense, with his lips twisting and contorting into a strange smile of embarrassment, and a faint colour of red had seeped onto his cheeks for a strange reason. A strange guilt grew inside Yugi, partially believing he had caused Yami much pain for startling him, though had to question whether or not if something else had a part in his behaviour.

Regardless, Yugi whispered a quieter and more sincere "Sorry".

Yami gave Yugi a small glance, before sighing, and rubbing the back of his neck "You ready? W-We can go now if you want".

Yugi gave a nod, and with Yami taking hold of his hand, the two began walking again. The two were silent as they walked down the path, Yugi more so, as he was worried saying almost anything would trigger Yami off. But he desired to know what Yami was thinking, what Yami was feeling, so he could understand or even comfort his friend if he needed to. What had happened when crossing the road, which could change Yami so dramatically, and so quickly?

After reaching the end of the path, Yami stopped walking, biting his lip lightly and looking back down the street they had come from. Letting go of Yugi's hand, Yami took a few steps back, but not without Yugi noticing first.

"I…have something to do quickly" Yami said, patting Yugi's shoulder "Just…wait here for me, okay?"

"Okay…" Yugi said.

Yami stood still where he was a few moments, before giving a shy grin, and holding Yugi's shoulders again. However, it was not out of assurance, as he forcefully turned Yugi around to face the other direction "Wait here" He repeated.

"O-Okay…" Yugi responded, picking up the hint that he was not supposed to look at Yami.

Once safe that Yugi would not watch, Yami turned to jog down the road again, leaving Yugi at the corner. Hearing Yami's footsteps blend with other peoples, Yugi began to grow anxious as he stood patiently, and his mind began to interrogate itself. Surely Yami had never been to the town before, so what business did he have to do? And with his skittish nature, could Yugi even trust him to go alone, or to come back at all? With the prospect of being abandoned, Yugi looked over his shoulder for Yami, barely making him out within the small crowd.

Yami had not travelled far, back to his spot down the street, outside the clothes store. Just like how he was before, he was simply staring into the window, for an unknown purpose. Knowing that Yami had not disappeared, it would have been logical for Yugi to keep to his position, like Yami had ordered him to. But knowing that the clothes store was what distracted Yami, Yugi desired to know what was in it, so hurried back to Yami's side once more.

The girl had moved away from the counter, to the back wall of the store, sorting out the rest of the products on sale. With her back turned to the window, she did not notice the two boys watching her, giving them the safety to observe without disturbing her.

"What are you doing?" Yugi asked, causing Yami to jump once more.

However, instead of dragging Yugi out of sight, Yami turned to Yugi to face him. A stern glare on his face, and his hands on his hips, Yugi could tell he was about to receive another scolding.

"Don't do that to me!" Yami yelled "Why can't you understand I don't want you sneaking up behind me, and scaring the crap out of me?!"

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Sorry doesn't help anything-!"

"Can I help you?"

Yami fell silent at the feminine voice, a darker streak of red appearing, as he turned to the shop door. The girl who had been working in the store was now outside, clearly having overheard Yami's reprimand to Yugi, and approached the two with a smile.

"I've noticed you've been staring in" She said calmly "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Y-You noticed?!" Yami questioned, surprised and shocked that he had been caught out, despite it being physically impossible. Yami lost his aggressive behaviour, and quickly succumbed to embarrassment, as he found himself rubbing the back of his neck "I-I mean…uh…w-we…urm…ah…"

"We're going to the mountains" Yugi answered for Yami, picking up on his nervous tone, and hoped he could amend his scare to the male before.

"The…mountains?" The girl repeated, a little perplexed by the response "Then…do you want directions?"

"Nope! Yami knows the way".

"Oh, I see" The girl turned back to Yami, giving him a smile "You must be Yami then".

"Y-Yeah…I-I'm Yami" Yami stuttered back "A-And we kind of do need directions".

"I see…"

"Huh? But you said-"

Yami gave a nervous laugh, quickly placing his hand against Yugi's mouth, and muffling any kind of sound he tried to make "I-I was mistaken, alright Yugi? Don't have to embarrass me any further in front of the lady do you?"

The girl gave a small chuckle "Anzu, the name's Anzu".

"Anzu, r-right…"

"Anyway, I'm afraid I don't know any directions to the mountains" Anzu explained "I've never been outside the town. You can always ask someone in the tavern though, I'm sure there's someone there who'll give you directions".

"S-Sure…"

Though Anzu had offered them advice, Yami did little to act on the words, and ended up staring away due to shyness.

"S-So I…"

"Would you like to come in?" Anzu asked, gesturing to the shop "You still seem a little lost, I can point you in the right direction if you want".

"Yes, of course. Thanks".

As Anzu returned to the shop again, Yugi turned to Yami, a confused frown going over his face "What about the mountains?"

"They're not going anywhere, are they?" Was all Yami said, and pulled Yugi along, walking them both into the clothes store.

Once the door was shut behind them, Yami finally let go of Yugi, and walked over to Anzu. The girl stood behind the counter, lifting her head up at Yami, and giving her pleasant smile again.

"So…this tavern…?"

"Well I actually live there" Anzu explained "I can take you there myself, but, I have to work first, so if you can wait a while you don't have to wander around aimlessly".

"How long is a while?"

Anzu gave a shrug to her shoulders, and an almost sheepish smile "The lady is out for most of the day, and I have to stay here. So…about five?"

Yami gave a hum, and glanced over his shoulder at Yugi, who stood patiently by the door waiting. However, with little debate, Yami turned back to Anzu, and nodded his head eagerly.

"We don't mind" Yami assured, leaning on the counter "Yugi was complaining about walking anyway, we can rest up".

"Okay" Anzu then gave a curious gaze to Yami "Though…I must ask; why are you going to the mountains?"

"Uh…um…Yugi wanted to go on a trip" Yami lied, lightly rubbing his arms, showing his uncertainty "You know…see the sights, get some fresh air and all".

"So far away from home?"

"Y-Yeah…w-well his parents said it was okay…"

"Oh" Anzu gave a smile "Well, I suppose that's okay then. What are you then? His brother…?"

"Uh…carer. Um, sitter. Whatever you want to call it".

Anzu raised her brow in a playful, but suspicious manner "A carer? I didn't think boys liked kids".

"Oh yeah, love the little blighters. Even the ones who don't know when to shut up".

Anzu gave a chuckle at the joke, and walked away from the counter, tending to the shelves that held the folded clothes "Do you plan to have your own then Yami? I want to have four one day".

"Four? Damn, the most I could do is one" Yami admitted.

"So you have thought about it?" Anzu teased, as she fondled with the clothing.

"Er…recently…I suppose…"

Anzu quietly chuckled, before having to hurriedly grab the clothes, as they decided to slip and fall from their resting spot. Seeing the girl in trouble, Yami hurried round the other side of the counter, and assisted Anzu in collecting and replacing the folded clothes.

"Thank you" Anzu said, making sure they were neatly stacked again "I should probably work up some muscles, do this by myself and all".

"No" Yami protested, giving a small smile "You're nice the way you are now. I like you like this".

"Thanks…"

The two gave shy, but certainly happy looks and smiles to each other, content with the small chat and compliments they gave. Yami looked across the store though, attempting to distract himself, though frowned as he watched Yugi lift up the skirt of a dress.

"Yugi!" Yugi jumped back, turning to Yami immediately "Don't look under the dresses! It's rude!"

"But…"

"Ah, actually, wait here Yugi" Anzu hurried to the storage of the store, looking around, and muttering to herself as she did. Once she had found what she was looking for, she returned, and walked over to stand in front of Yugi "If you're going to the mountains, it'll be awfully chilly. Here, have this".

Anzu held out a coat in her hands, letting Yugi examine the jacket she held out. It was clearly a girl's jacket, but had a certain adorable and pleasing appearance to it, not to mention a warm appeal to it. Sown like a quilt, the jacket was made out of yellow and pink squares, no doubt filled with padding. The ends of the sleeves and the collar were decorated with a floral pattern, and a waved ridge, finishing off the winter coat. Unfortunately, due to age and inadequate keeping, the padding inside the coat sagged to the bottom, causing the jacket to look even baggier than it should have been. Regardless, Yugi smiled at the gift, and took it out of Anzu's hands.

"Admittedly its girl clothes" Anzu explained "But the owner never came back, and it's not of good quality to sell in here".

"That's okay!" Yugi assured, taking the jacket, and undoing the delicate buttons "Yami taught me to not be picky in what we take!"

"Take?" Anzu repeated curiously.

"Buy" Yami corrected, giving a guilty smile "You know…can't be too picky with stuff, keeping it cheap and all".

"Oh, right".

Yugi pulled on the jacket while Yami lied, tugging the sleeves down his arm, and buttoning it up against his chest again. The plump jacket hugged around his body, already giving him a warm touch to his body, and making a cosy and familiar feel to it.

"So, you're working here alone today?" Yami queried.

"Yes" Anzu replied, turning back to the teen, and walking behind the counter once more "Though, usually I'm not alone".

"Well…would you like me to help?" Yami offered.

"I didn't think you'd know much about running a store".

Yami gave a small chuckle "Well, no, but I do know how to help out pretty girls".

Anzu gave a soft smile at the flirt, and nodded her head "Okay, I could use the help I suppose".

Yugi was forced to stay inside the shop all day, which only made him anxious and agitated about their travels, if indeed that was still the plan. Yami spent all his time with Anzu, helping her out, and chatting to her whenever he could. Anzu seemed pleased with the company he gave, allowing him to compliment her at various times, and even laugh at the few jokes he made. They were happy with each other, despite not knowing each other since that morning, and it loosened Yami from his tense behaviour from before. Yugi was happy that Yami was happy again, however, another problem had grown.

It seemed that so long as Yami talked to Anzu, he had completely forgotten that Yugi even existed. It took a hard tug on Yami's clothes to get him to even look at Yugi, and even after that, he brushed Yugi away with a quick answer. Rejected, Yugi sat himself in the back corner of the store most of the day, letting Yami enjoy the time he had with Anzu.

Time ticked on to late afternoon, and Yugi was still sat in the corner, hugging his knees tight to his chest. He was both hungry from lack of food, and sore from lack of movement, making him almost wish he was back to walking down a long and endless road. Yami continued to help Anzu around the shop, letting her deal with any customers, while Yami dealt with the stock. Though when the shop was empty, the two returned to their quiet, and bashful conversations from before. But soon it came to closing time, and as Anzu dealt with the last of the customers, she picked up her coat and keys before turning to Yami.

"Right, we'll lock up and go on our way. Unless, you've changed your minds?"

"No, not at all" Yami assured "In fact, seeing it's so late, we might as well ask if there's a room. Er…is there a room?"

"Of course. But, do you have the money to pay for it?" Remembering that he had no money at all, Yami tensed once more, and bit his lip in shame "Don't worry, I'll pay for you, deal?"

"Uh…y-you don't have to".

"It's fine, I want to" Anzu turned to the shop door, opening it up for the two "So, shall we go?"

"Sure. Oh" Yami walked back over to the counter, leaning over it, and spotting Yugi in his corner "Yugi, let's go".

Yugi pushed himself up, feeling a little fragile as his body shifted into a new position, but walked over to the door nevertheless. Once everyone was outside, Anzu locked up behind them, and led the two boys towards the tavern. However, Yami and Anzu made sure to walk faster so they were together, leaving Yugi to trail behind them in misery.

After walking through several streets, Anzu led them to the tavern, waiting outside as a couple of drunkards stumbled out loudly. The small rural building was in slight decay, with the edges of the roof missing, and paint and dirt caking the corners of the building. However, some effort had been made to make it appealing, with potted plants near the door, and small decorative items to cover up the hideous scars of the building. Loud noises came from within, most of them intoxicated, which did not help fill Yugi with hope.

"This is usually the loudest time of the day" Anzu explained, giving a small apologetic look to the boys "Sorry, but just stay close, and we won't be bothered".

"Alright" Yami turned around to Yugi, and took hold of his hand, making sure the child was close to him.

"Okay, follow me".

Anzu walked over to the tavern, closely followed by Yami and Yugi, before leading them inside the tavern. The nauseating smell of alcohol and the obnoxiously loud chatter of men hit Yugi at once, causing him to cringe at everything, and held tighter to Yami's hand. Anzu strolled through the crowds without looking at anyone, even when a few of the men whistled and taunted her to join them, she kept her eyes straight to the bar on the other side. Once reaching the bar, Anzu found a more secluded and empty spot, before talking to the proprietor.

"I'm back for the day. Also, these boys would like a room here" Anzu explained, gesturing to Yami and Yugi "Is it okay if I pay for them for tonight? I have more than enough".

The woman gave a hum, crossing her arms over her chest, and glaring at the two—Yami in particular. Looking up and down their thrown together bodies, she turned back to Anzu, sharing the same glare to her.

"Spending your money on these nobody's?" The woman queried.

"They're nice people. Honestly" Anzu assured, placing her hand in her pocket, and taking out some money to pass on "They just want to spend the night here, please?"

The woman gave a hum, letting her eyes observe the money in front of her, before taking it out of Anzu's hands. She counted the money briefly, setting it aside in a tin, and giving a nod to the girl.

"Alright, but let me tell ya something, don't go wasting yourself over a boy alright?" She warned "You're far too pretty for that".

"I won't" Anzu chirped back, before turning to Yami, and gesturing him to follow "This way Yami".

Yami quickly followed Anzu, making sure he did not stare at the proprietor, fearing what she would do to them if she was given the chance. Yugi, however, dared to look at the burly woman. She gave a cold stare at the young boy, furthering his cringe into Yami's back, and holding Yami's hand tighter. Taking them behind the bar, Anzu led them to the backroom, and pointed to the stairs that led higher up. Shutting the door to the bar, Anzu turned to Yami, and gave him a small pat to his shoulder.

"You're the third door on the right" Anzu explained, before walking over to a separate door "I'll go see about getting some food, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks" Yami waited until Anzu had gone into the kitchen, before taking hold of Yugi's hand once more, and pulling him up the stairs "Come on, let's see what this room is like, yeah?"

Yugi gave a hum, and allowed Yami to pull him along, climbing up the stairs with the older male. The hallway above them had rows of doors, at least twelve in total, all leading to separate rooms. Yami took Yugi to the third door, opening it up, and peeking inside to check that it was empty. With the coast clear, Yami pushed open the door wider for Yugi, and let go of the child's hand.

The room was plain, and consisted only of two beds, and a desk under the window. It was cold looking, and unattractive, not what most people desired of a bedroom. Regardless, it had good enough shelter from the outside and actual beds, which Yugi considered as a luxury. It was all he could desire, and asking for anything more would be selfish.

With another hunger groan from his stomach, Yugi shuffled in, and sat himself on one of the beds. With the weight off his feet, the only pain Yugi had to focus about was on his stomach, which was little compared to the rest of his aches.

"Well, it's nice" Yami commented, before walking over to Yugi, and stroking his hair "Don't worry, Anzu will bring up some food, so we can eat then, alright?"

Yugi gave a nod, and allowed his body to slowly sink into the bed, giving in to the comforting hold the soft covers had. After a few moments, Anzu came knocking on their bedroom door, two bowls of what appeared to be soup to offer. Yami was the one to answer for Anzu, allowing the two to have a small, and secluded talk, before Anzu left the two alone. Yugi sat himself up as Yami passed him one bowl, and quickly eating a spoonful of the soup, quelling the hunger within his stomach. With the hot soup inside his body, Yugi felt refreshed, and the negative feelings disappeared along with the hunger.

As Yugi spooned out another scoop of creamy liquid and vegetables, he noticed Yami ate very little of his meal, twirling his spoon around the edge of the bowl. After slurping up the soup, Yugi dipped the spoon back in, and watched Yami for a few moments. The strange, distant feel came from his friend, and the unknown cause only made Yugi concerned for Yami's health.

"Yami…?" Yugi gently called out to him.

Yami seem to give a small twitch, as if he had been snapped out of a nightmare, and turned to Yugi. When seeing the child's worried face, Yami gave a smile, and looked down at the bowl in his hands.

"It's probably gone cold now" Yami commented, gathering up a spoonful of soup, and eating it. After swallowing, Yami cringed, and made a noise of disgust "Lukewarm. Even worse".

Yugi gave a small smile at Yami's disgust, and returned to his own meal, hoping that the problem—whatever it was—would disappear soon.

Once both of them had eaten the food, Yami offered to return the bowls to the kitchen, and left Yugi in the bedroom. Patiently waiting, and in a much happier mood, Yugi began to investigate around the bedroom. He began looking out of the window, expecting to see the street from below, but was disappointed when he was greeted with the wall of the next building. He then searched through the desk offered, but found little to entertain himself, he even resorted to looking under the dusty beds. Yugi found himself lying on the bed yet again, staring up at the cracks in the ceiling, as he waited for Yami to return.

Hours had passed, and Yugi still waited for Yami to come back, watching the door and listening carefully. The sounds of the tavern below them became overpowering the darker it got, but Yugi waited to hear the sound of approaching footsteps, or the creaks of squeaking floorboards. Anything that would signal Yami's return.

After impatience consumed him, Yugi left the bedroom, and went on his own search for Yami. However, Yugi did not need to travel far to find Yami. At the bottom of the stairs, Yami was leaning against the wall, taking quietly to Anzu again, so they were secluded. Yugi stayed hidden at the tops of the stairs, attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation, and find out why it had to be secretive. But they were too far away, and too quiet for Yugi to hear anything, only the faint sounds of chuckles when a joke was made. It was clear Yami was preoccupied with other things aside from Yugi, so the young child left him alone, and returned to the bedroom by himself.

Solitary hours passed by, and Yugi had fallen asleep on one of the beds, tired of the wearisome waiting. However, at the sound of feet, Yugi forcibly woke himself from his sleep. Tired eyes turned to the door as it opened, seeing a somewhat dazed, but happy Yami walk in. When seeing the young child rub his eyes, Yami gave a smile, and walked over to pat his shoulder.

"Had a nice nap?" Yami queried.

Yugi gave a hum, and sat himself up "I fell asleep…while waiting for you…"

"Heh…I got…distracted" Yami lied, backing to his bed, and sitting down "Sorry, did I worry you?"

Yugi shook his head, and as he sat himself up, hugged his legs tightly "Yami…are we still going to the mountains…?"

Yami looked up at Yugi, losing the happy smile he had, but nodded despite his appearance "Yeah, yeah we will. We're just getting our backs straightened out, right?"

Yugi gave a small smile at the joke, and nodded his head "Yeah. Okay".

The night went on, and the rowdy noise of the tavern continued to grow, even startling Yugi when he heard the proprietor yell at a couple of the drinkers. Regardless, Yami stayed with Yugi for the rest of the evening, comforting him and even getting Yugi to fall asleep. It was like nothing had happened again, and Yami was back to his old self, protecting and caring for Yugi. But the child knew, that much like the previous time, it was going to be short-lived.

When the customers had left, and the tavern had closed for the night, an eerie silence fell over the building. It was unsettling, and the odd noises from the street outside kept Yugi in a light sleep, startling him anytime he tried to drift off into a deeper sleep. However, at the sound of a door squeaking, Yugi opened his eyes lightly to look around.

Through the dim night light, Yugi could make out Yami, standing by the bedroom door. He peeked out of the door, checking down the dark corridors, before leaving the bedroom behind. Curious as to where his friend was going, Yugi slipped out of the bed and approached the bedroom door, making sure not to cause the floorboards to squeak underneath him. Yugi opened the door, and squinted his eyes to look deeper into the darkness, trying to search for Yami.

Yami was further down the corridor, standing in front of another bedroom door, and checked the corridor once again. Seeing Yami's alerted state, Yugi shrunk back a little, hiding from Yami's gaze. When seeing no one down the corridor, Yami entered the room, shutting the door behind him. Yugi checked the corridor once more, and crept down the corridor, approaching the door Yami had entered. Though Yugi was apprehensive about entering another person's bedroom, Yugi slowly opened the bedroom door, and peeked inside.

Yami and Anzu were both sat on the edge of the window, legs hanging out, as they stared up at the night sky outside. They did not seem to be alerted to Yugi's presence, so the young child kept to his position at the door, and listened to what they were talking about.

"It looks like it would have been a pretty night" Anzu commented, leaning out the window slightly, and looking up at the sky "If the clouds didn't cover up the stars".

"Yeah…did you see the star shower last night?" Yami asked.

Anzu turned to Yami, shaking her head "No. I didn't know there was one".

"Oh…well, it was incredible. I'm sure you would've liked it".

"I think I would have. Oh well" Anzu gave a sigh, looking back out the window "Maybe I'll see it another time…with you".

Yami gave a smile at the comment, and a shy chuckle "Yeah…I would like that…"

The two sat in silence for a brief moment, before Anzu leaned a little closer to Yami "Do you think we'll see each other again?"

At the question, Yami gave a sigh, and looked away "I don't know…"

"You don't know?" Anzu repeated.

"Yeah…I'm not the kind of guy you should be spending time with".

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh…uh…you know" Yami pulled up one leg, letting his arm hook around his knee "I'm…probably…not your kind of guy…or something like that".

"Don't be silly, I really like you, you're a nice guy".

"Heh…well, you're a really nice girl".

Anzu gave a small chuckle at the comment "Thank you".

The two were silent, and slowly leaned closer together, only stopping until their lips met in a kiss. Yugi watched for a few moments, expecting Yami to pull away quickly, much like his friendly kisses back home. But Yami stayed firmly against Anzu's lips, and even cupped her face, before feeling content enough to pull away. The two gave shy and embarrassed smiles at each other, but Anzu scooted closer to Yami, and rested her head on his shoulder for intimacy. Yugi leaned against the wall, staring down at the floorboards, as he recalled the old man's words.

_'Why must we kiss the flowers?'_

_'A kiss is to show how one feels about a person, typically of affection. When you kiss an unopened flower, you're telling it how much you love it, and that'll get it to open. That is why Yugi'._

_'Oh, I see. Then, I shall kiss every flower then!'_

With a small sigh, Yugi backed away from the door, and hid himself away from sight. Remembering what the old man had said, he speculated that Anzu had meant a lot to Yami, and vice versa. When picking up that the two had wished to be alone, Yugi returned back to their bedroom, and forced himself to sleep throughout the night.

When Yugi woke up the next morning, he had found that Yami had returned during the night, unaware of Yugi following him. Yugi kept silent about what he saw, worried that he'd embarrass Yami, or scold him for being sneaky again. Though, Yugi could not help but notice the cold air about their departure, and about how quick Yami wanted it to be. Yami wanted to leave as early as possible, preferably before people woke up, and hindered them any further. When Yugi asked about his hasty nature, Yami stood silent for a few moments, before muttering a disheartened 'nothing'. Yugi begged to ask if it had something to do with his night with Anzu, something that had happened when he left them alone, but to ask would reveal that he had watched them the previous night. So, Yugi kept quiet.

Walking through the streets early in the morning beat most of the rush of busy streets, however as soon as people began to wake up, the streets flooded with people once more. Yugi stuck close to Yami, not wanting to lose his friend within the crowds, as he felt that Yami could easily lose himself with the bustle. Looking up at Yami, Yugi could see the clear pain in his face about leaving, which only hurt Yugi by watching him. Tugging on his hand, Yugi got Yami's attention, and gave him a small smile.

"What are the directions?" Yugi asked curiously.

"Hm? Oh…" Yami gave a sigh, looking ahead of him "Straight north out of this city, follow the road and there should be a split in the path. Take a left, head through the capital, rest there, and a direct route to the mountains I believe".

"It doesn't sound long…we'll be home for dinner!"

"Heh, yeah…yeah it sounds…good…"

"Yami!"

Yami stopped at the familiar voice, letting go of Yugi's hand, Yami turned back towards the crowd. Anzu weaved in and out of the sea of people, running towards the duo, before finally stopping in front of Yami.

"You didn't say goodbye" Anzu stated, lightly panting out of breath.

"Well…I…"

Without letting him finish, Anzu wrapped her arms around Yami, pulling the male into a tight hug. Yami was surprised by the action, and stumbled back slightly, but managed to keep his balance together.

"Promise me…promise me we'll see each other again" Anzu said, pressing her face into his shoulder.

"I…I don't know…"

"No! I have to see you again…please…promise me…"

Yami stayed silent, watching Anzu press her face harder into his shoulder, before letting his own arms hug her back. Watching the couple hug, Yugi found himself feeling guilt weld up inside him; after all, if Yami was not accompanying him, there would be no reason to refuse Anzu at all. Giving a small glance to the hugging pair, Yugi took a few silent steps back, before turning and starting to walk away.

Still hugging Anzu, Yami gave a small stroke to her shoulder, before closing his eyes and saying regrettably "I have to go".

"Why?" Anzu whispered "Why do you have to go?"

"I don't know. But, I feel it's important, so…I have to".

Lifting her head up, Anzu stared up at Yami "Okay…but…please, say you'll come back".

"Heh, Anzu…I'm…really not the kind of guy you should be chasing after" Yami gave a small, but sad smile, shrugging his shoulders "I'm…not suitable for you…at all…no matter how much I hate to say it" Yami reached out, stroking her cheeks "But…I know you'll be fine…I know that much".

Anzu managed a smile of her own, allowing Yami to touch her skin, for one final time. However, her eyes glanced over Yami's shoulders, and turned her expression into shock "Yugi?"

Yami let go of Anzu, and looked behind him, surprised to find the young child missing. With dread going through his body, Yami attempted to peer through the crowds of bodies, but to no avail could he see the youngster.

"Yugi?" Yami called out, moving from spot to spot, in hopes of having a better chance of seeing him "Yugi! Yugi?!"

After leaving the city borders, Yugi began running, as fast as his small legs could take him. He passed farms, and boundless empty fields, before coming to a split in the path. Breathless and dry in the mouth, Yugi remembered Yami's directions, and took a left at the split. Running further along, nothing stopped Yugi from putting a distance between him and the city, knowing it was for the better.

However, his feet caught up with each other, and tripped him over. With a small grunt, Yugi pushed himself up on hands and knees, and began to wail at the stinging pain.

"Yami! I tripped!" Yugi cried, sobbing heavily.

_"Here, let me have a look at your legs"._

Yugi hiccupped, and sat himself back, and continued to cry. However, after a few moments of waiting, Yugi bravely looked up from behind his hands. He was surprised that Yami was not tending to his wounds like before, but with the cold reminder that he left Yami behind, Yugi remembered that he was alone in the world now.

Sniffling, Yugi rubbed away the tears, and forced himself on his feet again. Yugi continued walking down the path, wincing whenever his legs stung of pain, and with blood slowly running over his skin. It was painful, but it was how it was meant to be, and he was not going to stop.

Yugi progressed slowly through the day, taking small breaks whenever his legs grew weary, and occasionally glanced back on the chance Yami was chasing after him. But due to every stop he took, the day carried on, and by the end of the day Yugi was still walking down the road. Tired and hungry, Yugi had to worry about how he was going to sleep at night, worried about bandits praying on such a young child. As the sky grew darker, Yugi spotted a tree in the middle of a field, a fair few feet away from the road. Yugi made his way towards it, deciding to make it his bed for the night, like he had done before. However, without a blanket or another body to keep him warm, the incoming night seemed cold and cruel to the child.

With a shiver, Yugi hugged his body tightly into a ball, and rested against the tree's old body. Being alone reminded him of the painful and lonely nights he had back at his garden, a time where he was uneducated about the pleasures of being with others, and that without them made being alone even painful. Still, he knew what he had done was right, and he only hoped he would return home and tell the tale of his mountain trip.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8~

The night seemed long and torturous, as both hunger and cold temperatures attacked the young child, keeping him awake for most of the night. His shivering set off his hunger, and his stomach growled in anger, letting the pain keep him away from desired dreams. Before he could even think about sleeping, the morning had already risen, and he was forced to carry on down the road.

His body rocked a stormy sickness, with every step he took, making him groan with each stumble. Though his bleeding had stopped during the night, his leg stung and ached with every bend, making him wince at the pain going through him. With a lack of sleep, his body wobbled and stumbled over itself, creating an awkward walk for the boy. With everything his body told him was wrong, giving him numerous reasons to turn back, he still proceeded ahead. He figured it was some sort of test, that if he couldn't overcome his problems by himself, then he was not worthy of his journey regardless. The quicker he pressed forwards, the quicker he returned home.

After a while, the road cut off to make way for a small bridge, allowing access over a river. Yugi stopped at the beginning of the bridge, and glanced down at the river, admiring its small beauty. The water seemed clear, gently scurrying through the weathered out path, and carrying a few fallen leaves with it. It appeared perfect, much like his pond back home, though lacking the colourful fish he had befriended. Though he desired food inside him, Yugi let his feet take him to the edge of the river, and fall to his knees. He was still tired from the unfortunate night, and was thirsty to boot too, so a small drink from the river was favourable for him.

Holding his breath, Yugi ducked his head into the water, letting the water brush coldly against his face. The surprisingly chilled water whipped over his face, snapping away the tired state that hung on, and shook him to wake up fully alerted. Once moist and awake, Yugi took his face back out with a gasp, and shook away the moist droplets. After drying most of the moist, Yugi dipped his hands into the water, forming a small cup shape to carry water out. Despite his best efforts, water still trickled in between and over his hands, escaping too quickly before he could drink any of it. He had to quickly pull out his handful of water, and sip as much of it as he could, before it all disappeared from his grasp. The water was quenching, even if it was cold and strange tasting, the feel of water going down his throat to soothe his sickness was delightful.

After about the fifth sip, Yugi was disturbed by the sound of a bird call, and looked up to the other side of the river. A small, black feathered bird sat opposite him, watching his every movement. Head tilted, one eye was locked onto Yugi, while small chirps of curiosity rang from its beak. The two sat completely still, watching the other fearful, waiting for the first move to be made. Once realising that Yugi was no threat to it, the bird hopped closer to the river, and began scooping up the water into its beak. Yugi watched the bird as it took its drink, before sending out a small song, and flying into the sky once more. He sat in thought, letting the water escape through the cracks of his hands, and return to its home within the river. He had not thought about where the water had come from, and if it was a common place for animals to drink from, was it truly safe for him to drink from it as well?

His stomach gave another lurch, making Yugi groan at the terrible thought of disease, and left the river for the road once more. Even if the river was safe to use, Yugi decided against taking any more from it, letting the animals use it for their thirsts.

As Yugi continued to walk further down the stretch of road, his body ached, and groaned, and even began to heat up from the trek. He was glad his body could finally find warmth, only cursing that it had not arrived sooner during the night, when he wanted it the most. However, progressing forwards, Yugi realised that the heat building in his body was not his friend.

His skin began to prick at the hotness, his body burned to an undesired temperature, which encouraged his other pains to fight with it. Sweat formed on his forehead and around his joints, stealing more moist than his body could offer, and causing his mouth to dry up. He was short of breath, and ended up having to pant, which only further dried his mouth while his lungs desperately tried to work. And with heat and sweat working consecutively, it attacked his head, blurring his vision and scrambling thoughts and reasons his brain had. His stumbling was more apparent, as his body leaned from side to side, and his feet struggled to keep up with the swaying motions of his structure. Overall, Yugi knew that something was wrong and should stop to find out what it was, but the evil heat kept him pressing forwards. After a while, he had completely forgotten why he was walking down the road, letting his feet take him to wherever they desired. Pulling at his jacket, and wiping away the sweat with his hand, Yugi continued trekking further on. Whatever his plan was, he was not going to give up, despite only seeing blurred mixes of colours in front of him. Nothing was going to stop him.

His feet touched a small rock, but with his balance in peril, there was nothing he could do to prevent it from tripping him up. Yugi fell to the ground hard, feeling each bump and scrape of the rocks onto his skin, and cutting Yugi's skin a few more times. Though the pain was obvious, and lying in the middle of a road was not a safe activity to partake, Yugi found himself unable to move himself. His limbs, his muscles, his entire being begged for rest. Breathless and weak, Yugi found his eyes closing on him fast, as he promised himself a few minutes of sleep. Minutes turned into hours, and the sleep had become more than pleasing for Yugi, deciding again that maybe sleeping forever was the best course of action. He was sure no one would mind, and even the approaching rumbling sound would not mind, just as long as he could sleep for eternity.

Yugi was not sure when began recuperating in his mind. It had felt like boiling eons had passed, subduing him into a peaceful and distant sleep, filling him with the weirdest and wildest of dreams. As his brain began to think to himself, he wondered if the world had changed drastically in his sleep, and whether or not his friends were still alive to meet him. Though had to quickly ask himself, if it were possible for a person to sleep so long.

Pulling himself further out of sleep, Yugi began to notice smaller details about the outside world; things that made him visibly frown in his unconscious state. Something moist and strangely heavy rested on his forehead, as well as something wrapped around his body, though fluffy instead of wet. Strange cackling was in his left ear, snapping and clicking as well, while a gentle warmth glowed on his body. And an undistinguishable moving noise was all around him, moving things, as if he was alone. Though he could not name the certain characters of each noise and feeling, he realised that they were all not natural, and that he was not on the road like he had thought he was.

Forcing his weak eyes to open, Yugi blinked a couple of times to clear his hazy sight, and looked down at himself. He seemed to have been transported into a room—a bedroom to be precise—and he was lying in a bed, sheets of immense thickness coiled around his frail body, and a damp cloth had been laid over his head. A fireplace which had been lit was to his left, dancing and laughing, while warming up his sickly body. Several large paintings hung on the wall, and the furniture itself was beautiful in itself, different from what Yugi had experienced with. However, what caught his attention the most, was the young boy sitting by his side.

He was a few years younger than Yugi, and leaning over Yugi, he watched with a wide smile spread across his face. His complexion was pale, and his appearance overall was the cleanest Yugi had ever seen, making him look smart and noble despite his young age. With his unnatural, appealing condition, Yugi believed that this could not have been an ordinary person. A small dread came to him, as he opened his mouth, to finally speak.

"Are…you an angel…?" Yugi croaked out, remembering what the old man had told him.

The boy's smile turned to a grin, as he moved away, and looked over his shoulder "Ni-ni! He's awake!"

Yugi was perplexed for a moment, turning his head to look at the approaching person, and realised that he was not alone in the room. A young woman walked closer, dressed in a long and large dress, which had been covered up by a frilly pinafore. She clean and smart looking too, but comparing her to the young boy, Yugi could easily tell that their standings in life were vastly different.

"Ah, that's good" The woman gave a smile, walking closer to Yugi, and removing the cloth from his head "How are you feeling boy?"

"Uh…tired…" Yugi mumbled out, reaching up to rub his eyes, to show his point.

"I see. You can rest in a moment, we're preparing a few things for you" The woman then turned to the young boy "Master, do you want to see if the cook has made the soup yet?"

"Okay" The boy hopped off the bed, and after giving Yugi one last glance, hurried to the bedroom door to leave.

Once the boy was gone, the woman took the cloth away, walking to a small desk that had a bowl in it. Yugi watched curiously as she dipped the cloth in and out of the bowl, seeing the cloth dribble excess water, before being drowned again. The woman repeated the action several times, before wringing out the cloth, and returning to Yugi. She folded the cloth into a thick rectangle shape, and placed it over Yugi's forehead, returning the heavy and moist feeling once more.

He then pressed the back of her hand against Yugi's cheek, making him hum at the touch, soft and cool to his skin "Your temperature has gone down a bit, that's good".

"Temperature…?" Yugi queried, unaware of the term.

"Yes. You have a bit of a fever" The woman explained kindly, pulling her hand away, and walking around again "I hope you don't mind, I took off your clothes, so that they may be washed, they were awfully dirty".

Yugi lifted up the covers around him, realising that he had indeed been stripped down to his underwear, and wrapped the blankets over him once more "Okay".

The woman smiled at the simple answer, and returned to his side yet again, though this time she had something different in her hands. It was a small brown bottle, with a white label wrapped around it, but Yugi did not know what was written on its sides. In the other hand was a spoon, smaller than the ones Yugi had used, and the handle had been shaped into a floral pattern. The woman sat down by Yugi's side, setting the spoon down briefly, so she could unscrew the lid of the bottle. Placing the lid aside, she picked up the spoon, and poured the liquid in the bottle on the spoon. Yugi watched the tan coloured substance pool into the spoon, only stopping when it reached the brim, and remained sat in its place. The woman turned to Yugi, and held his shoulder, easing him to sit up.

"Here, this'll make you better" She assured, moving the spoon closer to Yugi's lips.

Though Yugi was unsure of the liquid, Yugi had little reason or strength to argue against her, so obediently took the treat. As Yugi swallowed it down in one go, a sharp horrible taste spiked through his throat, causing him to cough and hack as a reaction. When the woman had let go of him, Yugi laid himself down in the bed, continuing to cough away the bad taste it had caused.

"Trust me, it'll help" The woman reassured, screwing the lid back on "Medicine never tastes good, but it does wonders. The master will be back with some soup, that should take some of the taste away, okay?"

Yugi gave a nod, though still grimaced at the revolting taste, and opted to grasp tightly to the bed sheets.

While the boy was gone, the woman continued to pamper to the room and Yugi, asking him every now and then if she could help him in some way. Yugi turned down the kind offers each time, still unsure of whom the people were, and focused more on the horrid taste still lingering around. However, when Yugi could hear quiet muttering, he looked to the door to see the boy. He was carrying a tray, and was struggling to open the door by himself, so ordered the woman to assist him. Once inside, the boy bounced himself to Yugi's side, and proudly showed him the contents of the tray. There was a large bowl, filled with a brown coloured soup, and odd bits of vegetables and meat. There was a spoon to eat from, and a few slices of bread, as well as a small drink. As the tray was placed on Yugi's lap, the child took little time to consume the food, hearing his stomach rile up again at its poor state. The soup burned his insides, the bread and drink mixed together unpleasantly, but it was all Yugi had desired.

The boy had sat on the bed again, watching Yugi scoff down the food, keeping the optimistic smile on his face. Once Yugi had slowed down with his eating, the boy leant closer again.

"Hey, what's your name?" The boy asked.

Yugi looked up at him, before answering "Yugi".

"Yugi" The boy repeated with a chuckle "My name's Shiro".

"Shiro…" Yugi repeated, smiling slightly, and returning to his food yet again.

"My dad says it's alright for you to stay here tonight" Shiro continued, letting Yugi listen while he ate "But he says you have to go back to your family in the morning. Where is your family?"

Yugi slurped up the soup in his spoon, before shaking his head "I don't have a family. I…lived with an old man, but he died…"

Despite the grim answer Yugi gave, the boy smiled more wildly, and flew off from the bed "Don't go anywhere Yugi!" Shiro ordered, and raced to the door, briefly stopping at the woman to clutch at her dress "Ni-ni, take Yugi to the bath, okay?"

"Yes master" She replied, and watched as Shiro bolted out the door once again. When he had left, the woman reached out to pull the door too, chuckling quietly to herself "He certainly does have a lot of energy".

Still puzzled about the speed Shiro contained, Yugi simply gave a nod to the comment, and continued eating. Shovelling the last of the soup into his spoon, Yugi finished off his meal, and allowed the woman to take the tray away from him. She placed it on the desk, so she could return to Yugi, and pulled back the covers on the bed. Being exposed to the open world, Yugi felt his body visibly cringed into itself, attempting to hide his exposed skin. The woman did not seem to mind however, and simply held out her hand to Yugi, offering him assistance out of the bed.

"There's a bath prepared for you" She explained, waiting for Yugi to hold her hand, and shakily raise himself from the bed "It'll freshen you up, and help you sleep better".

"O-Okay" Yugi replied, allowing the woman to lead him out of the room, and towards the bath.

As they walked, Yugi could not help but try to peek into every room they passed, and admired the décor that filled every inch of the corridor. He presumed that he was in a grand building, but judging by the large size and the copious space it had, it was more than simply a grand house. After passing several more doors, Yugi could hear distant chatter further down the corridor, but the woman pulled him to a stop, rendering him unable to find out what was going on. She pushed open the door, and let Yugi walk in first.

The room was covered in tiles. From the ceiling to the floor, tiles of quartz and lapis lazuli stuck to their position, and created a dazzling pattern of colours. A bath sat in the middle of the room, steam rising from it, and sending droplets to run down the tiles. A small table was sat to its edge; it contained a plump and fluffy towel, and several other bath products Yugi was familiar with. A small window hidden at the top of the wall was open, letting out some of the warm air, but most remained inside. Just by being inside the room, Yugi already felt sweat running down his neck, and was rather glad that his clothes had been taken away from him.

Yugi moved closer to the bath, confused on its small design, and peered into the water. It was a murky green colour, and mounds of white bubbles were piled over the top, occasionally popping for no reason. It was much different than the baths he had, and wondered if it really would do him some help.

"I will go fetch some spare clothes for you to sleep in" The woman spoke, gaining Yugi's attention again "Take as long as you like. Knock on the door when you're finished, and I'll dress you, okay?"

Yugi gave a nod to show he understood, and watched as the woman shut the door, giving Yugi some privacy as he bathed. Yugi eyed the bath again, watching a few more bubbles pop, before bravely letting his fingers dip in. With a hiss, Yugi pulled them out quickly, and shook his hand to rid the water off them.

"It's hot" Yugi whimpered, sucking on his pricking fingers.

As Yugi waited for the water to cool down, he inspected the items left for him to use, deciding which ones to use first. As he opened the lids to each of them, his nose caught the scent they let off, and found himself smelling them all. His decision was based on which one he liked the best; the better smelling ones would be used last, so that they had a longer affect. The bath had cooled down, so Yugi removed his underwear, and stepped into the bath. Though the temperature had lowered in the bath, it still stung his body as he sat down in it, and ended up shivering when his neck and head felt chilled in comparison. Regardless, Yugi persisted to wash himself, coating his skin in the many aromas he had to offer. Soon, his body began to feel lighter and cleaner than before, making him feel delighted that he had a bath to clean himself with. But fearing that he had taken too much time, Yugi let his bubble covered body step out, and began to dry himself with the towel. Yugi giggled as he brushed the towel over his body, feeling the soft touches stroke over his skin, tickling him in the process. After a ticklish hug from the towel, Yugi hung it around his shoulders while he pulled on his underwear, and walked over to the door to knock on it.

"Um…miss…I-I'm done" Yugi called through, giving a small gasp when the door opened, and backed away.

The woman gave a warm smile, a bundle of clothes under her arm, presumably for Yugi. She tilted her head as she stared at Yugi, before kneeling down, and grasping the towel around his shoulders. Worried that he may have ruined the towel, he cringed as she pulled it up, but relaxed when he realised she was simply rubbing his hair.

"Your hair is still a bit wet" She commented, roughly driving the ends of the towel through every lock, absorbing any last bit of dampness his hair held "There we go, all better. I think these will fit you, do you want to put them on?"

Yugi gave a nod, but before he could reach out to the clothes, the woman took the first item of clothing and rolled it out. It seemed to be a long, baggy white shirt, with nothing interesting to note. It seemed to be a little worn, with many creases cutting over the dreamy white colour, but Yugi was used to second-hand clothing. The woman rolled up the end of the shirt, so it became a strange loop of cloth, before holding it out to Yugi.

"Arms up".

Yugi did as he was told, and held his arms up in the air, curious as to what she would do. The woman then reached up, slipping the shirt over Yugi's arms and head, and unrolling the rest down to cover his chest. Yugi lightly tugged at the sagging neck, but found that the shirt was a perfect fit for him, and was happy that it was comfortable to him. The woman then picked up the last item, a pair of matching shorts. They appeared rather baggy in her hands, and had the odd tears at the bottom of the shorts, but nothing too embarrassing or demeaning.

"Step in".

As she held the shorts out for Yugi, the child stepped in when appropriate, and let her pull them up to his waist. To his surprise, the rim of the shorts snapped to his waist like glue, keeping them from falling down. But the legs of the shorts remained baggy and open, allowing freedom of movement, and comfort.

"My apologies that they aren't the best" The woman said, watching as Yugi admired his new set of clothes "I was not sure what the master would allow me to take for you to wear".

"It's okay" Yugi reassured softly, his fingers tracing over the creases in his shirt, acting as if it were a necessary game "Where are my clothes?"

"Do you want them?" Yugi gave a nod, and at the answer, the woman rose to her feet "I'll go check if they're clean, wait here please".

The woman turned on her heels, and once again left Yugi alone in the bathroom, though let the door remain open just in case. With curiosity going through him, Yugi crept closer to the ajar door, and peeked out once more. The woman had walked far down the corridor, but once reaching her destination, disappeared down a set of hidden stairs. Yugi waited a few moments for her return, a sickening guilt forming at the thought of disobeying the kind woman, clashed easily with the wonder of where he was at that time. His inquisitive side pulled through, pushing back his obedience, and walked down the corridor. However, his search did not take him far, as the sounds of voices pulled him to another open door.

Inside was what appeared to be an office, with many bookcases, items and glass cabinets filling it up. A desk sat in the middle of the room, occupied by a man who had his back to the door, and Shiro tugging at his side. He seemed to be bothering the man, but without a raised voice or a threat of violence, Yugi assumed that the man did not mind Shiro's presence.

"Please daddy? He has nowhere to go" Shiro pleaded, grabbing another handful of his jacket, and tugging on that "People would be mad if you let a kid go out alone!"

"Hm, suppose so" Was the man's reply, focusing more on whatever he was doing on the desk "You don't know what he's capable of. He might steal, or get you sick, hm?"

"But Ni-ni said it was just a fever!" Shiro argued, pouting as he did so "And he won't steal! Please daddy?"

The man hummed again, lightly tapping something against the wood of the desk, before letting out a deep sigh "Alright. I'll talk to your mother about it, but, he gets one chance, fair?"

"Yes!" Shiro threw his arms around the man's neck, embracing him tightly, while rubbing the tip of his nose into the side of the man's head "Thanks daddy!"

"Alright, now go to bed, I need to work".

"Okay!"

Yugi panicked when he saw that Shiro came bounding to the door, and knowing he was no match for his speed, pressed himself against the door. Shiro burst through the door, quickly shutting it behind him, before spotting Yugi hiding away. Shiro gave a small gasp, but once recovering himself, he gave a smile and held Yugi's hand.

"Hey Yugi, had that bath?" Shiro asked, getting a timid nod from Yugi "Great! Want to sleep with me tonight?"

"Um…sure…"

At the positive response, Shiro gave a chuckle, and happily pulled Yugi down the corridor. Yugi stumbled on occasions, trying to keep up with Shiro's happy and fast pace, but managed to keep his balance this time. As they passed the stairs, Yugi turned his head when he heard a creak, and realised that the woman was returning with Yugi's clothes in her hands. Before she could even question where they were going, Shiro beat her to the answer.

"We're going to bed Ni-ni" Shiro announced, continuing to pull Yugi down the corridor "Come dress me!"

"Of course master" She replied politely, and followed the two children to another room.

Shiro flung open the door to the room, letting Yugi take his time to enter, while he happily jumped in and opened a wardrobe. It was another bedroom, however the room was vastly different than the one Yugi had been using, and made him feel more relaxed to walk into it. While it still held an air of great richness, the bright colors made it feel friendlier, and spoke to Yugi more than words could. With the walls coloured a pale blue, and the ceiling left blank white, it created the image of a sky covered in clouds. The bed was large and soft, with several layers of covers, and curtains hung on supports for privacy if needed. Several toys were scattered across the floor, from stuffed animals to soldier figurines, Yugi felt that Shiro must have loved his toys dearly.

As Shiro tugged out some clothes for him to wear, he pointed to the bed "Yugi, you sleep there, okay?"

Yugi looked to the bed again, giving a nod, and crawled onto the bed. His hands and knees sunk easily into the many blankets, but continued to climb to the top of the bed, and slid himself under. As he got himself comfortable, he watched the woman walk in, and help Shiro undress. She put Yugi's clothes to the side, saying that they were in the wardrobe when he wanted them, before tending to Shiro who seemed to get impatient quickly. Once he was down to his own underwear, she dressed him in a type of gown, and gently tugged on the ends of the sleeves so they fitted properly. After he was dressed, Shiro ran to the bed, jumping in the empty space with a laugh. The woman gave a smile at Shiro's happy nature, and untied the curtains so they hung loose, before drawing them around the bed. With the deep red curtains cutting off the world, Yugi found himself cringing at the tight space they had, wondering if he should say something about the curtains.

"Goodnight boys" The woman said from behind the curtains, moving away from the bed, and to the door.

"Goodnight Ni-ni!" Shiro called back, and once the woman had closed the door, Shiro gave a grin to Yugi "Isn't this fun?"

"I…suppose so…" Yugi said unsurely, trying to determine what part of sleeping was considered fun.

Shiro laid himself down, resting his head in the pillow, before turning to Yugi "Hey Yugi, where were you going? On the road I mean, that's where we found you".

Yugi gave a hum, rocking his head from side to side briefly, so he created a small nest within the pillow "I was…heading to the mountains".

"The mountains?" Shiro repeated, rather shocked by the answer "What for?"

"I don't know…I'll know when I get there though".

"Hmm…" Shiro shuffled lower into the bed, allowing the tip of the blankets to touch his chin "You don't want to go to the mountains now, they'll surely get snowed on now".

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Eh?! Of course it is! People go up there and never come back! You don't want to go up there!"

"Oh…but…I really want to".

Shiro turned his head to Yugi, seeing the disappointment in his eyes, and breathed a gentle sigh. Shiro lightly chewed on his cheek, looking up at the ceiling in thought, and turning to Yugi once again.

"You can always go in the spring" Shiro suggested, catching Yugi's attention easily "Spring always melts the snow away, so it should be safe then, yeah?"

"I…guess so" Yugi answered, a small smile growing "When is spring?"

"Many months away" Shiro replied proudly, closing his eyes with his trait smile "We have to go through the autumn and winter first, then its spring. But that's ages away".

At the vague but long time, Yugi lost his smile, and looked elsewhere once more "Oh" Was his response.

"You can stay with me the time being though, okay?" Shiro offered, his legs moving around underneath the covers "We can play games, and do lots of fun stuff, okay?"

Though Shiro's bouncy nature and forwardness made Yugi feel uncomfortable, it strangely reminded him of Yami, always optimistic that seemed contagious with everyone. Though it seemed like spring would take too much time, and by then the plan would be fruitless, Yugi gave a smile and nod to the child's offer.

"Sure. It sounds like fun".

"Great!" Shiro then turned on his side, facing Yugi with a grin "We'll play games tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay" After watching Shiro close his eyes, Yugi followed his lead, and gladly fall into another deep sleep.

With a soft bed, and safety of others around him, Yugi slept peacefully once again. With covers wrapped around his body, he felt that he was rocked by invisible arms, soothing any worries or problems he had. And with little disrupts from the night itself, Yugi slept through the entire night, gathering up the missing sleep from the previous night.

When the morning came around, Yugi was the first to wake up, stretching his body to relax his muscles. After feeling refreshed, Yugi turned to Shiro, expecting to hear a bouncy awakening from him. However, Shiro was still fast asleep, half of his peaceful face squashed into his pillow. Seeing that the child was content, Yugi decided against waking him up, knowing it was not in his place to do so. He ended up lying still in the bed for a few more hours, too afraid at what would happen if he pulled the curtains back, so resorted to staring up at the milky ceiling above them.

Shiro awoke when the woman came in to greet them, pulling back the curtains from the bed, and freeing Yugi's chest from a heavy weight of worry. Shiro grumbled for a while after he awoke, muttering about how he hated early awakenings, but the woman calmed him down easily. She coaxed him out of his bed, and dressed him in a new set of clothes, drastically different from his bed wear. A blue jacket with gold rims was pulled tightly over a white undershirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his wrist, and a hard looking collar around his neck. Small, cute, matching shorts completed the rest of the outfit while long white socks reached to his knees. Though it clearly had a lot of money spent on it, Yugi found him disliking the looks of the clothes, finding them too restricting and uninspiring.

However, once Shiro was dressed, the woman turned to him with a smile "Would you like to get dressed Yugi?"

"Oh…yes…" Yugi answered, realising that the clothes he had slept in were meant to be exchanged, like Shiro had done minutes before.

As Yugi slipped out of the bed, and about to grab his own clothes, Shiro brushed past to pull an outfit out from his wardrobe "Yugi can wear this!"

"Oh, of course master" The woman replied, taking the particular clothes, and turning to Yugi.

With little arguing, Yugi allowed the woman to take off his clothes, and dress him in the new clothes. The clothes were almost identical to Shiro's, but without the deep midnight blue, and instead a bright exotic colour of red. After the woman had dressed Yugi, he could not help but fidget in the strangling clothes, confirming his dislike towards them. He unbuttoned the jacket, and tugged on the collar and sleeves, but it did little to ease his discomfort.

Despite this, Shiro grabbed his hand, and pulled him out of the bedroom "Come meet my daddy!" He ordered, more than suggested.

"Uh, okay" Yugi responded, knowing that it would be futile to escape from the child's grip.

Shiro tugged Yugi to the stairs, only briefly stopping at the top step, so he could take each step slowly and awkwardly. Yugi found himself taking his time with the stairs, forcing himself to stick to Shiro's speed, until they touched the bottom step. Once they had reached the bottom, Shiro went back to his speedy nature, and pulled Yugi down a corridor. They passed servants and workers, who greeted Shiro as he went by, only to receive and quick and bland response back. It seemed that he was extremely eager to introduce Yugi to his father, not wanting to delay it any further, by conversing with the others of his home.

The corridor came to a stop at an open door, bright morning light pouring into the room, and inviting the two children inside. A long table stretched from one end of the room to the other, covered with tableware for eating, and a white silk cloth to protect it from damage. One side of the wall was made out of entire glass, allowing the soft light to pass through and light up the room, while the other wall was dominated by paintings of men and hunts. Hanging from the ceiling was a web of glass drops, dangling for life, and glittering within the sun's rays. Several maids stood patiently by the door, and when seeing the children enter, bowed down to them. But much like the other people, Shino barely recognised they were there, and headed to the man that was eating by himself.

"Daddy, this is Yugi" Shiro introduced, making the man turn his head to the young child "He says he wants to stay here as well!"

The man seemed to be younger than his appearance made him out to be, but with the abundance of hair around his face, his age was hidden behind his unkempt health. Faint wrinkles began to set into his skin, already being prominent around the joints of his fingers, darkening the cracks around them. His eyes were thin and narrow, to the point that they were near closed, but peered deep into Yugi's body and soul. He was dressed in elegant threads of white and gold, barely covered by the long cloak he wore, tassels on the end and dyed a deep midnight blue.

The man lifted his fingers, brushing them through the hairs of his chin, and gave a gentle sounding hum "To not bow to me…you must be lacking information".

Yugi pulled a curious expression, turning to Shiro instead, fearing he would offend the man if he asked "Bow?" Yugi asked, referring to what the name meant.

"You have to bow to my daddy, because he's the king" Shiro explained "Like this".

Shiro bent his waist down, arms stationed to his sides, as his head dropping low towards the ground. Once he had performed the bow, he rose up again, and smiled to Yugi "You gotta do it, it's the law".

"O-Oh, right" Yugi turned back to his face, mimicking Shiro's bow, before rising to his full height once again.

The man watched Yugi intently, before turning back to the meal in front of him, apparently not impressed by Yugi's respect "You are awfully lucky that you are here boy, however, you are here now, and I expect good behaviour from you. One wrong step, and I will throw you back to the streets. Understood?"

"Y-Yes" Yugi answered back, giving another bow as he spoke, thinking it was only right.

"Good. Shiro, you two can go now. Play a little if you want".

"Okay daddy!" Shiro clamped Yugi's hand once more, pulling him away from the table, and back to the door "Come see my toys Yugi!"

Without further arguing, the two children left the dining room, running back upstairs to where the toys lived. After Shiro had introduced each toy, and explained the rules of the particular game, they began to relax and have fun. The day almost went by blissfully, and it would have gone far into the night if the woman had not came to visit, breaking them out of their immersion and noting on the time. Yugi felt that perhaps Shiro's invitation was not as bad as he thought it would be, after all, he was happy to play with the young child.

During his time with Shiro, Yugi found it to be the most enjoyable he ever had, and the guilt of imposing on the family faded into distant memories. Most of his time was spent with Shiro, playing all the games he introduced, and exploring the rather large mansion they lived in. With both his parents constantly working, it became understandable why Shiro was so ecstatic to have Yugi around, and Yugi felt more than obliged to keep the youngster entertained. He learnt how to play with dolls, cards and chess, and it was all thanks to Shiro.

The woman was known affectionately as Ni-ni to Shiro, and seemed to be his personal maid, or carer as Shiro tried to explain it. She would check up on the children every now and then, make sure they were well kept, and dressed them when needed. She would never join in on their games however, whenever Yugi tried to invite her to participate, she would smile it off and say her imagination was not up to par like theirs were. It made Yugi all the more willing to play with Shiro, seeing that not even Ni-ni would play with him. However, that seemed to suit Shiro fine, as he enjoyed sharing his games with Yugi—additionally relishing the victories he had, cheering and lightly taunting Yugi when he did.

Shiro took him to the office one day, carefully peeling the door open, and poking his head round the corner. Once checking the room was empty, he turned back to Yugi with a grin, and let the door swing open by itself. He took Yugi's hand and pulled him in, though feeling Yugi resist a little, worried about getting into trouble and having to leave.

"Come on, the balcony's this way!" Shiro reassured, finally forcing Yugi's body into the office, and leading him over to the wide windows. Turning a small handle, Shiro carefully opened the glass door, making sure it came to no damage before running outside.

The balcony was only accessible from the office, but stretched against two more other rooms, giving more space to use outside. From the height of the second floor, the two could see much of the city ahead of them, many roofs creating waves over the buildings. It had only been a few days ago that Yugi had learnt that he was residing in the capital city, the very place he had tried to get to by foot, and wished to see what the city looked like first hand. As promised, Shiro waited for his father to leave his office, before taking Yugi to the balcony.

Yugi leant against the edge of the balcony, watching as the rows of houses disappeared into the distance, creating a never-ending edge to the city "It looks so big…" Yugi whispered, looking up as a flock of birds came over "Does it go on forever?"

"No, but we're right in the middle" Shiro explained, pointing out to the horizon "It goes really far out, and it's such a long walk. But look, you can see the mountains from here!"

Yugi squinted to the hazy view, seeing a faint outline of what appeared to be something big, and guessed that it was the mountains "Yes…I can see them" Yugi looked down when he heard feet, and watched as the guards of the palace patrol around, unaware that the children were above them.

Shiro watched Yugi's eyes, looking over the edge, and smiling. Waving with one hand, Shiro pushed his arm to support him over the edge, as he leant out slightly to be seen "Hey!" He shouted down.

The guard seemed curious to the voice, but when realising it came from above him, gave a small smile to the children and carried on. Shiro gave a playful chuckle, waiting until the guard had walked round the corner, before turning to Yugi with his mischievous grin.

"They aren't really allowed to talk to me" Shiro explained, snickering behind his hand "But it's so fun trying to make them!"

Yugi gave a small smile at the joke, looking out to scenery again, which laid just beyond the palace walls. The sounds of people talking and moving feet filled the wind, and just ahead a small dust cloud had kicked up, no doubt from the amount of people walking around. The general air of rush and agoraphobia made Yugi reminisce of Yami's town, though was sure that it was smaller in size, as he would be able to see one end of it to the other.

"Master, you know you're not supposed to be in here" The sudden voice caught them off, quickly turning, they relaxed their guilt when it was only Ni-ni "Come now, surely there's something else for you to do".

"Okay" Shiro gave a smile, holding Yugi's hand again, though Yugi was used to the touch by then "Let's go play a game Yugi".

"Okay" Yugi happily agreed, and followed Shiro out of the office, and hid away where they would do little to cause trouble for anyone.

Living with Shiro gave Yugi great happiness, something he could not simply explain, and something he knew he would not feel anywhere else. While he enjoyed his time with Yami and his group, there was always the urge to be good, make sure he was not the black sheep of the group. But with Shiro and his family, that concern was not a necessity. He did not need to worry about anyone else, he did not need to worry about helping others out, all he had to do was make sure he behaved, which he did exceptionally well at. He had a life without care, and without doubt attacking his mind, and that made him the happiest he could be. After a month had passed, Yugi wondered if he could continue living with them, for the rest of his life. He knew Shiro would not mind, and if he proved that he was to be trusted, then not even his father could disagree with it. He would have the most joyous life with them.

With that simple, but effective thought, the past became ever more distant. Yami, the group of children, even his garden were almost erased from his mind. Even the plan of going to the mountains, finding out why his heart lurched him towards it, vanished overnight. After all, if he was going to create a new life here, he would not need the memories of his past to build it. Thinking they had disappeared, Yugi failed to realise they had not gone, but were simply moved away. Locked deep in his mind where he could not reach them, his dreams easily accessed his memories, and whispered the old voices to him in his sleep. Perhaps if he had known sooner, he could have left the palace, before it was too late.

One day, the two children were in the library, playing chest at Yugi's request. Chess had quickly become Yugi's favourite game, despite not having a victory in the game yet. Shiro had explained to him it was a type of war based game, where two sides had an army, and would move pieces out to try and attack their kings. There several smaller rules to the game, such as what pieces can move where, how they can defeat other pieces, and how to recover fallen pieces. The bare base of the game was about strategy, carving out the perfect route to go, and taking the opposing player down. It was oddly thrilling, despite having the grim thoughts of people replacing the pieces, the tension of finding the best path and conquering the foe was exhilarating. However, Yugi's most adoring aspect of the game, married well with his abysmal trait. Being slow was considered good; in terms of chess. Though he worried that he would bore Shiro with his thoughts, chess gave Yugi a reason to take his time, and think about his decision. It was the only time in his life that Yugi could safely say he was useful, being slow and thoughtful, when battling in chess.

The game had just begun, and following rules, Yugi would make the first move due to owning the white pieces. He hung his finger on his bottom lip, trying to decide what would be the best move to make, knowing that the first move would make the game. He was always nervous about starting the game, but with Shiro insisting that he took first turn, there was little Yugi could do about it.

"Sorry" Yugi mumbled, apologising for the lengthy time it took to make a move.

"It's fine" Shiro reassured, smiling up at Yugi as he frowned deeper into concentration "Daddy says that it's good to be patient, helps make decisions better and stuff".

Yugi gave a small nod, half listening to the small child, before deciding to move one of the pawns out onto the board. After all, he could not move any other pieces, so a small pawn would have to do for the time being. Shiro observed the move, then giving his own hum, he looked among his own pieces to counter the attack. Shiro took more than a few minutes, before moving the pawn at the far left, and let Yugi take the next turn.

Yugi frowned at the black pawn, sitting on the edge, and waiting for further commands. The move did not seem to make much sense to Yugi, as it was quite a distance away from his own pawn, and it could not get far among his barricade. As Yugi tried to rationalise the young child's action, Yugi found that a path had opened up because of it, and it would lead him to a sure enough victory. While he could not be certain that Shiro would follow the moves he wanted, it was the best plan he had in a game of chess, and hoped that Shiro would fall for the ploy as well. Quickly glancing over his soldiers, Yugi picked one out for a distraction, moving it out and waiting for Shiro's next move.

As Yugi expected, Shiro fell for the trap, and everything fell into place. Yugi took piece after piece from Shiro's army, quickly flooding the board with his own white coated army, and forced Shiro into a corner. The child was rendered useless, as he soon ran out of pieces to protect his own king, and victory for Yugi was imminent. Shiro panicked, sending out any and all pieces he could sacrifice, but none were able to set Yugi back to his side of the board. Yugi had conquered with his white army.

Yugi placed his piece down, directly in front of the black king, who was near surrounded by other pieces as it was. With a proud smile, Yugi chirped "Checkmate".

Shiro bit his lip, fingers latching onto his king, as he moved it from square to square. Shiro desperately tried to find an escape route for the royal, but each square had eyes from the white side, making escape impossible for the king. When realising that he had lost, Shiro pulled a pout, and slumped down in his chair. Chuckling, Yugi clapped his hands together, cheering for himself like Shiro did when he won.

"I won!" Yugi exclaimed, laughing some more "This is the first time I've ever won anything! I'm so happy!"

As Yugi continued to cheer and congratulate himself, he failed to hear the small sniffles from Shiro, and his body slowly curling into itself on the chair. Yugi was too elated to notice his depressing state, too absorbed with the thought that he had finally won, finally achieved something within his life. As Yugi finished his cheering, he looked up at Shiro, seeing that his head was hung.

"Hey Shiro, let's play again" Yugi suggested, giving a smile "I want to see if I can win again-"

"Shut up!" Shiro snapped.

Shiro rose to his feet fast, and with one swift strike, knocked the chess board off the table. Pieces flew to the ground, scattered as many dead men, while the battlefield was face down on the carpet. Yugi stared at the fallen soldiers, his cheek pulsing with throbbing pain, as it began to swell and discolour. Yugi let his fingers brush over his cheeks, feeling the skin turn sensitive, and cringe against his own touch. Yugi glanced up at Shiro, seeing the tears stream down each side of his face, as he struggled to keep his wails inside him. It only lasted a few moments, for after giving Yugi a hateful glare, he let out a loud wail and ran out the room.

Yugi listened to his teary voice echo down the corridors, disappearing altogether when he locked himself in another room, and left Yugi on his own. Understanding that he upset Shiro, Yugi felt tears come to his eyes, and stung against his bruised cheek when they rolled over them.


End file.
